


Wherever the Knight (bus) Leads

by ExplainingTheIndescribable



Series: Only for a Knight [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Knight Bus, M/M, Misunderstandings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 31,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3771013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExplainingTheIndescribable/pseuds/ExplainingTheIndescribable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Drunk Bella meets Hermione on the Knight bus... Who knows where the night will end. Some ooc-ness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bella stumbled slightly as Narcissa guided her onto the Knight bus. Lucius was right behind them, equally as drunk and twice as happy. His laughter at Bella tripping was infectious, and soon Bella was doubled over and even Narcissa's face was lit up in mirth. They struggled to walk down the bus to the seats at the back while the bus weaved its way around London. It had been an excellent night at the Leaky Cauldron, and all three were getting on like a house on fire. That was strange in itself, but firewhisky tended to loosen inhibitions. Narcissa was the best at handling her drink, or perhaps she just hadn't had as much, neither of the three would have been able to say.

Stan was standing in his usual corner reading the daily prophet, also as usual. An article about new muggle artefacts caught Bella's eye as she passed, and she sighed loudly.

"People needed to stop separating each other, there's not even that much difference between muggles and wizards"

"And witches!" Lucius sang, bopping his head to whatever random song was stuck in his head.

"And witches" Bella giggled "Now we can't forget them!"

Narcissa's face portrayed her shock, too intoxicated to attempt to maintain her normal emotionless ice queen façade.

"But they're muggles!"

Bella simply giggled, finally managing to traipse her way to the back of the bus and plonk down opposite another witch.

"Bella, you disowned Andy because of Ted... Because he was a muggle!"

"No no dear sister of mine" Bella waggled her finger

"Andy was an asshole" Lucius laughed like the five year old he secretly was at Bella's coarseness.

"Bella!" Narcissa attempted to admonish

"Narcissa" Bella raised one eyebrow.

"She's family" Narcissa slowly looked less convinced, as though she was remembering the times Andromeda had lived with them.

"She was going to out me to mama and papa" Bella put on a faux plummy accent as she pretended to be as prim and proper as they had always wanted her to be. Bella leaned across the bus to where Narcissa was sitting and whispered "It was her who put marmalade in Sadie's hair." Sadie had been Narcissa's favourite doll from the age of three to eight, when she had mysteriously gained marmalade flavoured highlights. "She was jealous" Narcissa's demeanour soured for a moment, before she realised Lucius was walking past her, and grinning mischievously. "I bet that chandelier could hold me" were his only words.

Bellatrix laughed as Narcissa ran after him, though whether to stop him or join him she wasn't sure.

"Probably join him" she mused, not noticing that she had said it out loud although under her breath. Leaning back, she heard a giggle, and actually registered the witch opposite her for the first time. Still smiling slightly as she caught Bella's eye

"You're beautiful." The words were out before Bella could stop them.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione laughed at Bella's drunken candour.

Pulled from her daydreams and looking out of the window, Hermione turned back and took in the dark witch's resplendent flowing robes for a moment before being drawn into glittering dark eyes. The captivating gaze was daring her to laugh again as Bella leaned towards her slightly. The combination of her pale skin and dark eyes made Hermione gulp, talk about bewitching. Hermione hadn't noticed herself starting to lean forward too, until her knees were touching the other witch's and she was caught up in the smell of cinnamon and something else she couldn't quite figure out…

The next morning

Bellatrix was enjoying the blissful feel of the soft sheets and the warmth surrounding her. Cissy must have put her back in bed at the Manor, she always managed to get us all home in one piece. Feeling eternally grateful to her sister in that moment she stretched under her duvet and called for Flitty the house elf, she would surprise her sister with breakfast as a thank you. There was no response, nor tell-tale pop of apparition. Bellatrix paused "Flitty?" she cracked open an eye and peered out from under the duvet cautious of the sun. She didn't remember this room at Malfoy Manor… they must have redecorated again. Cissa really did love to move furniture for some odd reason. The arm around her waist shifted slightly, and her instinctively went to cover the hand with her own, Narcissa often had bad dreams. Turning to face her sister, it took a moment in her drowsy and faintly hungover state to register the brown hair and soft features that were most definitely not her sister's. Bella froze as the still sleeping woman's face wore a pained expression at the loss of contact on her hand for a moment, before relaxing back into peace.

What the hell had happened last night? Her rarely used pragmatic side kicked into action. Fully extracting herself softly from the arm around her, she got out of bed and started looking for her things. Mother and father would be impressed she silently scoffed, she had never before been out of bed so soon after waking up. She then noticed she was wearing half her underwear and one sock; well that's new, she mused. Eventually finding her clothes scattered across not only the bedroom but down the corridor and into kitchen as well, including a sock dangling half in and half out of the fridge, Bella was ready to go.

She paused and took another look at the still sleeping figure, before sighing. She had never been the indecisive type, but that bed was comfy… and that witch was beautiful, even more so when she was curled up under the covers as though they were protecting her from the world. Stealthily treading back into the kitchen, Bella quickly scribbled on a post-it note and stuck it onto the counter. Satisfied she checked her pocket one last time, and headed out the door.

A/N There will be another chapter about what happened the previous night, and more of drunk Bella. I promise.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for The Hungry Caterpillar.

 

Pulled from her daydreams and looking out of the window, Hermione turned back and took in the dark witch's resplendent flowing robes for a moment before being drawn into captivating glittering eyes, daring her to laugh again as Bella leaned towards her slightly. The combination of her pale skin and dark eyes made Hermione gulp, talk about bewitching. Hermione hadn't noticed herself starting to lean forward too, until her knees were touching the other witch's and she was caught up in the smell of cinnamon and something else she couldn't quite figure out…  
\-------------------

The moment evaporated and the spell between them broken as Bella hiccuped suddenly, her intoxicated state showing through.

Undeterred Bella turned on the charm as she smiled and casually leaned back into her seat. "So what's a nice girl like you doing on a bus like this?" At least, Bella thought she was being charming, Hermione merely raised an eyebrow. The impact Bellatrix's usual stunning self produced was lessened somewhat by the slight slur that had crept into her voice, and the fact that she was now slowly tilting to the side in an attempt to keep up with how fast the world was spinning. Hermione caught her arm and pulled her upright. "But we need to hold on to the floor or we'll slide off it" Bella's sound reasoning was cut short as her attention was drawn to the Flourish & Blotts bag Hermione was carrying. "Read me a story" she yawned, getting up and plonking herself down next to the younger witch with all the grace and care of a three year old. She leaned her head on Hermione's shoulder and waited petulantly for her to begin.

Hermione took a moment to simply stare in disbelief at this total stranger. A totally gorgeous and weirdly charming, bizarre witch who had literally stumbled onto the seat next to her on the bus, almost kissed her, and after all of five seconds was snuggled up next to her and demanding to be told a story. Funny thing was, she didn't mind at all. Deciding to just go along with it and that her night could - hopefully - not get any weirder, Hermione pulled out the copy of The Hungry Caterpillar she had bought in the muggle section for her god-daughter, and began "In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf..."

Bella giggled when the caterpillar ate cake, for as much as she was accustomed to the idea of magic and flying on broomsticks, the possibility of a little green caterpillar eating a slice of cake was just too much. The sleepy dark witch finally succumbed to dreaming on the last few pages, just before the caterpillar became a butterfly.

Hermione had missed her stop a while ago, yet still she didn't particularly mind. The young witch was enjoying the presence of the curious witch sleeping lightly on her shoulder, and didn't want to disturb the resting beauty who seemed utterly content. It had been a while since she had been so physically close to someone, and even longer since she had felt at ease with the human contact. Someone who really was, just another stranger Hermione reminded herself unwillingly; she didn't even know the other woman's name. As if reading her mind, Bella mumbled "Cissa..." That's not her, Hermione's mind told her before logic could involve itself.


	4. Chapter 4

After a while Hermione herself was starting to drift off, but she was longing to be tucked up all warm and cosy in her own bed. Gently tapping the witch using her shoulder as a pillow, she managed to rouse her for all of five seconds before her hand was sleepily swatted away. Bella snuggled in closer. Sighing Hermione decided drastic measures were called for. She'd forgotten her own wand at work, but she was sure the other witch wouldn't mind Hermione using her wand... She untucked it from Bellatrix's sleeve, and attempted to apparate to Bellatrix's home.

To her utter confusion, the first thing she saw was her own apartment complex. She cast the spell again. The wand must be refusing to cooperate... quite particular things that they were. Shivering slightly and essentially carrying Bellatrix with the way the witch was wrapped around her like a koala, Hermione made her way to her apartment. She plonked Bella down onto the bed as carefully as her tired arms would allow, then made for the chest of drawers to grab herself a blanket for the couch. Before she had gone one step, a hand latched around her wrist and wouldn't let go.

"Stay?" What had been verging on tired anger a few moments before melted into mush at the tiny voice. Hermione shook off the hand, and grabbed a blanket anyway. Bella could see none of this, and took being shaken off as a rejection, the hand retreated quickly. Hermione threw the still folded blanket at the figure on the bed. The darker witch sat up, looking so very innocent in her half asleep state. "That was mean..." she trailed off, distracting the brunette as she felt behind her, ah yes, that was the pillow she was looking for. "And I grew up with two sisters" the tone quickly turned mischevious. "You have no idea what you've started." Hermione saw the pillow a split second too late as it was thrown into her side shortly followed by another at her face. Hermione grabbed the latter as it fell "Bring it."

What felt like hours, but was probably only fifteen minutes, later the duo were lying out of breath haphazardly strewn across Hermione's bedroom floor. Bella stretched, she could swear she had bruises from the force of those pillows. Without looking, her stretching hand bumped into Hermione's. Bella nearly jumped at the electricity but managed to stay touching the younger witch, who if she noticed the current, didn't react to it.

Bella made it seem almost accidental the way she started playing with Hermione's hand. Still stretched out on the floor, she drew patterns across the back of her hand, along her knuckles and up fingers before down across her wrist. Bella chanced a glance up towards the other witch, to see her gazing straight back. She sat up keeping their gazes locked, and the brunette didn't hestitate before doing the same. There was an intensity in the way they held each other's gaze without faltering, and in what kept their eyes locked together as though nothing else existed.

Knees bumped together though neither noticed anything other than the spark the contact ignited. Enraptured in the other, senses were overwhelmed as lips met and any gap between them vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff

A/N Fluff

Hermione awoke to the sound of her front door closing softly. Still half asleep she turned onto her side and snuggled back down into the covers. What she was not expecting, was to be woken again five minutes later by the clanging sound of a saucepan hitting the kitchen tiles. This was shortly followed by quiet swearing. Hermione opened the door to find the dark haired witch from last night attempting to make breakfast using magic. At least, that's what she assumed; the other witch was currently chasing spilled yolks over the floor in a vain attempt to clean up. The younger woman stood leaning on the door frame for a moment smiling at the sight of Bella talking to the yolks trying to coax them into her hand so she could tidy a little of the mess she'd made, rather than sliding Breakfast Club style across the floor but with much less success at stopping. And more egg.

Upon seeing the brunette with her hand over her mouth trying not to giggle, Bella merely glares at the bedroom and points, wordlessly ordering Hermione back to her room. Hermione raises an eyebrow before turning into her room. She reappears a few moments later holding Bellatrix's wand and throws it to her. Catching it deftly before it slides out of her now exceptionally slippery grip. So much for the omnipotence of magic...

On the other side of wizard and witching London, two others were also stirring.

Narcissa could feel that the arm above her head was numb, but she was sure that if she moved it her current state of comfortable drowsiness would be gone, and replaced with bleak wakefulness. Lucius didn't give her the chance to find out if she could continue the pleasant dream she'd been having about enjoying chocolate ice cream and tequila sunrises on a quiet beach somewhere permanently sunny. The muggles may be close to primitive, but they did know their cocktails.

Busy ordering Flitty to acquire a hangover cure potion for him two minutes ago, he clutched his head and barely noticed his wife curled up on the couch. When he did turn around, his attention to her was mainly a plight for some sympathy. He received none.

"I feel like I've been hit on the head with a chandelier..." He groaned.

"You almost were" Narcissa replied without really thinking, she could felt a killer headache coming on, and didn't feel like being awake to experience it.

When her memories started to catch up further with her conscious brain, she remembered Lucius had in fact, been swinging on the chandelier, in fact several, as he had attempted to swing across the bus using them as monkey bars. Fortunately none had fallen on them before he had fallen off, distracted by Stan chasing him around the beds as he hopped from on to the other and trying to get the bus conductor to join him; Mr Shunpike didn't understand, the floor was lava…

Briefly smiling at her husband's failed coercion of the poor fellow to join in, before her face dropped.

She looked to the other two couches in the room, both were empty. She looked at Lucius as he caught what she was doing and realisation dawned across his face. "Bella didn't come back with us, did she"

It was not so much a question, as it was a statement of horrific truth that her sister was out alone with only a broken wand, probably lying hungover In a ditch somewhere if she was still alive that is. After ordering Flitty and Pilpy to check every room in the house and across the grounds, it was confirmed. Bella was missing.

Barely thinking Narcissa wrote letters to everyone and sent owls everywhere that her sister may have turned to, or ended up with, all except one. After several half-hearted attempts, the blonde witch decided that she had to go and see Andromeda in person.

After a surprisingly short while and enough swearing to make a sailor blush, there was silence followed by a short three raps at her bedroom door. Hermione looked up from her book to find Bella standing in the doorway with a breakfast tray and a borderline nervous grin that didn't suit her darkly dressed exterior in the slightest. Hermione rarely left a chapter unfinished or even the book, but this was one of those few times.

A/N Full disclosure: it was very tempting to make an egg pun with exceptional. Not gonna lie.

p.s. And more accurately, this is the fluff before the storm. Just a heads up.


	6. Chapter 6

The two witches found themselves sitting arm-to-arm next to each other in bed, enjoying breakfast and light-hearted conversation.

Hermione dismissed Bella's last comment with a smile and wave of her hand. Honestly, the dark witch left her entirely too giggly to think straight let alone come up with witty responses, which was quite a feat considering her usual cool head. If Bella had known Hermione better, perhaps she would have figured this out, instead of taking it as a greater dismissal than it was. Bella realised she had outstayed her welcome; she should have just left and stayed out the first time. She squeezed the crumpled note in her pocket into a smaller ball. If Hermione had know Bella better, perhaps she would have guessed that Bella would take it the wrong way and explained herself, or made some comment to let the darker witch know she was welcome for as long as she'd like to stay.

Unfortunately, the two witches were more or less strangers to the inner workings of the other's sober mind.

Finishing a bite Bella put down the rest of the croissant she had been enjoying, suddenly she was no longer hungry. What was she doing, lying in bed having breakfast with a random stranger who clearly wanted her gone? This pretty little witch who was too young and immature for her anyway, she decided. Brushing a few stray crumbs away, she left the warmth of the sheets to find her previously discarded leather boots. Sat on the floor as she was to lace up her boots, Hermione realised Bella's clumsiness, adorable petulance, and three year old impressions from last night were not habits of the witch currently in front of her. Hermione should have known better.

Schooling a smile on her lips, Bella stood and moved towards the door leaving the brunette still in bed, drinking her orange juice. Refusing to show she was hurt at no longer being wanted, Bella turned her head and blew the younger witch a kiss. Hermione put down the glass and genuinely smiled. Unfortunately she had forgotten to swallow the juice, and drops of orange dribbled down her chin. Hermione instantly closed her lips as a look of horror spread across her face. She covered her mouth with her hand to discreetly wipe away the orange trail, as a light pink blush crept over her cheeks.

Bella's smile became a genuine grin as she took a tissue from the box on the table and handed it to the brunette. Closing the door behind her for the second time that morning Bellatrix had to admit, for a manipulative woman that seemed to just want a bit of fun last night, the younger witch was kinda cute.


	7. Chapter 7

Hearing the front door close, Hermione felt her stomach drop. She felt vulnerable for a moment, sitting with an empty breakfast tray in front of her and a slightly orangey tissue crumpled in her hand. Then her Gryffindor pride won through, and she scolded herself for allowing herself to believe this witch would be any different. Just because she had stayed through the night, and even made her breakfast, a small voice in her head spoke out, no one else has ever done that for you… Hermione scowled slightly and ignored the voice, why should she expect any different.

Bellatrix arrived back at Malfoy Manor about an hour later. She had taken a detour through Diagon Alley, not in the mood to answer Cissy's barrage of questions that would undoubtedly be waiting for her. Eventually she had felt guilty, Cissy would be worried because she cared. Resigning herself to her fate, Bella dropped into the bakery that her sister loved, to get her some of those little cakes she loved. Even with magic, Bellatrix wasn't sure how they made those tiny cakes… or why they had to be so small, but Cissy assured her that they somehow tasted better than the exact same cakes of a bigger size. Finally apparating to the gates with the bag of fresh goodies for Narcissa, and a bottle of Lucius' favourite elf wine because he had probably had to put up Cissy's worrying all morning, she strolled down the drive and opened the door.

Bella called out, but no one answered. She even tried calling for Flitty, but to her mounting surprise, no house elf appeared. Bella was miffed, she vanished for a night and not even a house elf was around to greet her on her return? What a lovely family she had.

A world away on the border of muggle London, Narcissa and Lucius were sitting awkwardly in Andromeda's home clutching cups of tea and attempting awkward small talk with the blonde's estranged sister. The elephant in the room was suffocating but true to pure blood decorum, no one mentioned a thing beyond the weather and other current affairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Six months later

Hermione had been working in Flourish and Blotts for a few months now. Although she spent the majority of her time with her nose in one book or another, so it was hardly working as far as she was concerned, she loved every moment.

Further up Diagon Alley, Narcissa was talking animatedly to a subdued Draco, while Bellatrix and Lucius trailed behind almost talking amiably about Quidditch. Draco knew he should spend more time with his mother, but things had been going so well with his boyfriend and at work that he just didn't have time. He had a reason for wanting them to meet today, but he was trying to build up to it, it would be quite the bombshell for his mother. They arrived at their destination, Madame Malkin's, and Draco ushered his mother away, promising to be done in half an hour, after he had his new robes fitted.

Deciding to find some elf wine and ease the strained acquaintanceship between himself and his sister-in-law, Lucius muttered something about the Three Broomsticks and headed off quickly, leaving the two sisters alone. Narcissa linked Bella's arm, just like she used to when they were children. Bella smiled at the memory, then noticed the look of quiet worry etched into her younger sister's features. She always seemed to be worrying about something these days.

"As Lucius had headed to the pub so drinks are momentarily out of the question, I suggest we distract you with books while Draco is fitted?"

Giving the blonde no time to protest, Bella playfully picked up Narcissa, disregarding her squeals, and headed in the direction of Flourish and Blotts.

Hermione heard the door chime sound as someone entered the shop, but she was entirely engrossed in the latest volume of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt Scamander really knew his stuff! Besides, it was probably just bored kids looking for next year's textbooks…

Narcissa and Bellatrix hung their coats on the rack just by the door, and went their separate ways to wander around the shelves upon shelves of books. Bella occasionally found her sister to show her a book with a silly title, or snigger at some pretentious name. She walked along one particular row, parallel to the one Hermione was hidden behind, searching for the silliest author's name. Although Narcissa often attempted to hide her smile and admonish her sister, they were both soon in high spirits, and completely lost it at each other trying to say Atticus Rupert Clarence Montgomery Auden Toby Yanistus the Third of Hayward and the Marquart isles in serious voices.

Still giggling, Bellatrix went to find the counter and buy the book that had made them laugh so much, she just couldn't resist. Narcissa was still grinning broadly when she turned a few corners, looking for a book that could catch her eye, when she found a young brunette sitting on a beanbag, reading. Hermione glanced up at the intrusion, it was rare for someone to venture this deep in this particular corner of the library. Their eyes met for a moment, and each vaguely recognised the other. Both dismissing it as something less than it was, Narcissa moved past her and circled back around to find the shop counter and her sister.

Three things then happen simultaneously, Bellatrix presses the bell just as Narcissa appears, and the clock above the counter strikes 1pm. Realising the time, Bellatrix rummages through her purse and leaves some coins with the book and her sister before running off, saying something about Honeydukes closing for lunch and needing lollipops before they go back to find her nephew. Narcissa is still standing there slightly befuddled when the same brunette she saw reading earlier walks around the corner, just as Bella's cloak whips out of the door. Narcissa smiles politely, offering no explanation for the woman running away, and stands waiting for Hermione to ring the book through. Hermione sees the title of the book and her eyes widen. With slightly pink cheeks, she scans it and put the coins in the till, too flustered to check if it was the correct amount. Confused by the girl's reaction, Narcissa glances at the title for the first time, Sex with Dragons: The dos and don'ts of your first time. Utterly mortified, Narcissa just watches the young lady place the book in a bag. Hermione hands her the bag, and wordlessly Narcissa takes it and nods her thanks before leaving briskly.

In her hurry, she doesn't notice the two cloaks she has left by the entrance on the shop coat rack.


	9. Chapter 9

Narcissa stalked over to Honeydukes to find Bella sitting on the doorstep outside licking a lollipop bigger than her face and grinning mischievously.

"You did that on purpose"

"Whatever do you mean sister dear?" Bella's grin widened

Narcissa scowled, handed Bella the bag and folded her arms.

"You left me with that embarrassing book on purpose and you know it, admit it"

Narcissa was still too mortified to let it go. Bella only widened her eyes and attempted to look shocked. She failed.

"How could you think that of… of…" Bellatrix's giggles broke through and couldn't even finish her sentence in a serious voice she was laughing too hard.

Pretending to be slightly miffed, Narcissa turned on her heel and started walking away, leaving her older sister sitting on the steps of Honeydukes with her gigantic lollipop.

"I got one for you too…" Narcissa paused at the words, but Bella's voice still held a trace of humour so she started walking again, slower this time.

"It's cherry… your favourite…"

Narcisa looked over her shoulder at the dark haired witch and raised an eyebrow. Bella didn't want to push her luck, so she got up and skipped over to the blonde, taking an equally large deep-plum coloured lollipop out from her Honeydukes bag and offering it to her sister.

Dammit. Bella knew just how to sway her.

Narcissa took the peace offering and unwrapped it. Together they walked, arms linked once more, licking their oversized lollipops, towards the Three Broomsticks to meet Lucius and probably Draco too. The four of them met and enjoyed good food, good company, and copious amounts of elf wine way past lunch time and into the late afternoon.

It was five minutes to closing time, but Hermione hadn't realised it was even past lunch time yet, until her alarm went off. She had taken to setting an alarm to remind her to close the shop and go home, after accidentally keeping the shop open an extra seven hours accidentally one night and ending up getting home gone midnight. She really did get terribly immersed in the stories. Hermione silenced the irritating beeping and finished the chapter she was on, before closing the shutters and cashing up the till. She was about to go to the staff room and collect her belongings, when she noticed that there were two abandoned coats by the door.

A quick Revelio told her that there was no one still in the shop (she had accidentally almost locked customers in beforehand, but luckily they had been quite understanding about it). Frowning slightly, she went forward, it was unlikely there would be a name tag, but a spell could easily tell her whose magical trace was on each coat.

Performing the spell on the coat closest to her, the most prominent name to appear was Narcissa Malfoy. Narcissa… that was an unusual name, but she was sure she'd heard it before? The name bugged her, but her mind refused to function after a day of reading complex materials. Malfoy, she knew that name; it would be some relation to Draco for sure. She went behind the counter to find some parchment, if she sent it to Harry, he would be able to give the coat back to his boyfriend's mother. Finding no scraps of parchment there, she opened the door to the private quarters of the shop, she was sure she had some in her bag.

She was so caught up in these thoughts, she missed the telltale ding of someone entering the shop as the door closed behind Hermione.

Hermione stopped in the second doorway, of course… Narcissa… Cissa! The name the witch from the Knight bus had said! She would deliver it to Harry herself, and Harry could take her to Draco, and Draco could take her to the witch she wouldn't admit that she wanted to see again, quite badly.

Wait… Draco's mother? The dark haired witch hadn't looked like Draco… the difference in hair colour for a start… maybe they were just distant relations who happened to have the same name? It was unlikely, but Hermione clung to the idea regardless. It gave her hope that the witch she wanted to see again was not married to a man, and that she did not have a child her own age.

Either way, she could return the coat to the woman herself, and would get to see her captivating, cheeky smile just one more time. Hermione grinned at the thought.

Realising she was still standing in the doorway, Hermione turned on her heel and almost ran back to the public area of the shop. When she speed past the doorway and could see the coat rack, she saw that the coats were gone. She stopped. Both dark coats had vanished without a trace. They had not fallen down, nor had someone magicked them away. They had simply disappeared.

Just past the window, Bella handed Narcissa's coat back to her before putting on her own. Lucius grinned at the two and Draco made no attempt to hide his laughter, they truly would forget their own heads if they weren't screwed on.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione stepped closer to inspect the coat rack, as though if she kept staring at the wooden rail, the coats would spring back into existence. No such luck. Hermione crossed her arms and took a step forward. Her foot landed on a dark, twisted roll of wood. She slipped backwards, as the wand rolled forward, landing heavily on her arm at an awkward angle. Bellatrix opened the door just in time to see the graceful and dignified result of Hermione slipping, and landing flat on her arse. Without so much as a cheeky smirk, the darker witch offered the brunette a hand. Hermione made it to grasp it, but when her hand touched Bella's, her wrist seared in pain. It was most probably broken, she winced. Their brief touch had quite the opposite effect on Bellatrix, who wasn't quite sure when the last time she had felt an electric shock connection was.

Crouching next to the brunette on her injured side, still hidden from the three Malfoys outside, she examined the brunette's arm.

"Looks like a fracture." Bella looked up and could see past Hermione's hair and her delicate features were exposed to the darker witches view for the first time since she'd entered the bookshop. Her eyes widened.

Hermione had recognised Bella the moment she crouched down, but the darker witch had been too preoccupied with her injured wrist. Hermione was still in shock though.

Both witches simply stared at each other for a moment, neither's brain quite caught up with the situation. The darker witch, still slightly intoxicated from the copious amounts of elf wine she had been drinking all afternoon, regained her composure first and flashed a charming toothy grin. Hermione started to smile in return, before the pain made her wince once more.

Focusing back on the task in hand, (literally, as Bella was still cradling Hermione's forearm delicately in her hands,) Bella sighed. She had had too much to drink to safely perform this variety of complex healing spell. To be fair, she'd had too much to manage a simple Accio.

On the other hand, she didn't really want this girl getting closer to her family. She had made it clear that she wasn't interested in something more than they had already shared, and Bella was fine with that. Her internal adamant resolution was set. She just didn't want the younger witch meeting her family... Narcissa would ask too many questions, Lucius would smirk annoyingly, and Merlin knows Draco would never let it go!

No, there had to be some boundaries. They would figure out another way.

Bella looked back from the wrist to the pretty face of the owner once more. Soft, delicate features were still contorted in not-quite-hidden pain.

"Let me get Narcissa…"

Bella was too busy berating her rarely-seen softer side to notice the brunette's confusion.

Hermione could not stop smiling when Bella introduced her to her family. Narcissa was her sister, and Draco's mother, and that meant… Bellatrix Black (Hermione loved the name, and it suited the darker witch to a tee) was both unmarried, and childless – as far as she knew.

In fact, Hermione was still smiling when they tucked her up in what had once been Andromeda's bedroom at Black Manor. Narcissa was redecorating the guest bedrooms at Malfoy Manor (for what Bella was sure was the seventh time in three months). So, It had been decided that they would all traipse to Black Manor, where Hermione would be charmed fast asleep and Twiggy would perform the healing spell (because everyone else was far too tipsy). Thank god for the Knight bus, or they all would have ended up sleeping on park benches, and as much fun as that was, Narcissa wasn't fond of waking up with twigs in her hair. Once was enough.

Hermione was soon caught up in a dreaming state, filled with pitch-black eyes and soft caresses along her arm. In another room, those same dark eyes stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling. Bella turned and crooked an elbow under her head on the pillow. She had formulated a plan of sorts, but it could wait, for now.


	11. Chapter 11

Draco stood outside his aunt's door, deliberating. It was 5.59am, and Bella... Well she wasn't an early riser, but he had to talk to her. He stared at the watch on his wrist. The seconds hand ticked past the 12 again. He had been standing there for three minutes already. Ah well, he was in so much trouble already, Bellatrix couldn't really do worse, he reasoned glumly.

Pushing the door open, he walked straight to the heavy drapes and pulled them open, the sun was already past rising. Dragon balls. Turning back to the bed, he walked briskly over and tapped the arm lying on top of the covers.

"Aunty Bella."

"Go away"

"Aunty…."

"You don't want to know what will happen if you don't shut up and close those damn blinds!"

Bellatrix pulled a pillow over her head, completely blocking out the light. However, what Draco said next, held Bellatrix's attention completely. She was wide awake in moments. Giving Draco time to explain, and beg her not to tell Narcissa, before she sent him to pack a bag while she got ready. They met half an hour later at the foot of the spiral staircase near the front doors, pausing only for Bella to give Flitty a note for Narcissa;

With Draco

Gone out

Be back later probably

B.

Bellatrix had always looked out for Draco. She had never been doting, but she showed her affection in her own way. From making sure he was tough enough to survive in Slytherin in first year, to having his back when he was younger and had eaten three whole packets of chocolate cookies, and then thrown up on Narcissa's favourite rug, Bellatrix looked out for Draco when she could. That was the reason Draco had gone to her first, when he found out his friend was pregnant.

About six months ago, Draco and Harry had been a well-kept secret. Which was fine, for a while. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin could not be seen together, for propriety's sake, it just wouldn't do. Unfortunately, there's a difference between being private and being a secret. Draco wanted privacy, but Harry wanted them to come clean. It didn't feel right to him, as though they were a dirty little secret.

Three months into, whatever it was they shared, the couple had been at the Three Broomsticks. It was just another night out in Hogsmeade and everyone was having fun. There was a mix of all the Hogwarts houses, but everyone was too drunk, and having too much fun, to care who was mingling with whom.

Until Blaise opened his mouth.

The boy was at the stage of intoxication where he had lost the little filter he had between his brain and his mouth. Draco had simply walked past him heading over to Harry with their drinks, when Blaise slapped his butt and called him handsome.

Flattered and not noticing the look of jealous fury on Harry's face, Draco had turned and winked at Blaise. It was stupid, drunken, and done in flirtatious innocence. Unfortunately, Blaise didn't take it as such. The bigger boy walked forward into Draco, until the blonde was pressed up against the wall, still clutching two butterbeers. Blaise leant forward slightly, and Draco screwed his eyes shut, waiting for drunken breath to invade his senses. Instead he heard a smack followed by a painful thud as one moment Blaise was leering over him, and the next he was flat on the floor towered over by Harry who was cursing and holding his bleeding hand.

Days of arguments had followed. From Harry's point of view, Draco was being a selfish coward, and he told the blonde as much. Really Harry was just starting to wonder if Draco was somehow ashamed of him. Draco on the other hand, was terrified, it was not okay to fall in love with a half-blooded Gryffindor boy, and he would be lost if he was disowned. He had been raised with certain standards if living, besides he couldn't shame his family by denouncing everything his family stood for…. not for love. They wouldn't accept it anyway, his grandmother would probably have him shipped off to some god-forsaken place in the middle of nowhere to be 'straightened-out'… and then he wouldn't get to see Harry.

Not that he told his boyfriend any of this of course, Harry didn't give him a chance to, even if he had wanted to.

It had taken a week for them to finally break up, and so seven days later had found Draco drowning his sorrows in the Hogs Head. When the bartender finally closed up shop, Draco wandered down the high road hiccupping as he stumbled. A few young wizards and witches were clustered on a corner smoking. As he got nearer, Draco saw that they were standing outside Pewter Chains, the only small nightclub in the town. Feeling as though he was not nearly drunk enough, Draco entered, with the sole intention of buying however much alcohol it took to numb his pain.

The next morning, he awoke in a hotel room with ginger hair splayed out on the pillow next to him. Ginny mumbled in her sleep, and shifted away from the frozen blonde boy. Dragon balls! They were only friends… He had only even become her friend to keep Harry happy..!

He woke her up gently after grabbing them both a sandwich, and they decided Harry never needed to know. That same morning, Draco returned to Hogwarts to find a note on his unslept-in bed.

I'm sorry. We were both idiots.

Harry wasn't one for sweet words or sugar coating things.

The duo had gotten back together that day, and things had returned to normal. Draco had even managed to bury the guilt for a while. Until Ginny's patronus had come through this morning.

In Draco's eyes, the problem wasn't that she was pregnant, is was that she wanted to keep the baby. He wasn't cut out to be a father... But he respected her choice.

Ginny had been dating Luna on and off for about two years, and they had talked about children. Ginny thought this would be their only chance, until there was a breakthrough in some baby making potion, and Luna was happy to go along with what her fiery red head wanted on this one.

Bellatrix was hearing this from the couple themselves, seated at the living room in the Burrow. They had discussed possible options, but as far as agreeing to anything, the only thing for certain was that Ginny was keeping the baby. Bella sipped her honeyed tea and turned to Draco.

"So do you want to tell Harry now, or wait and surprise him with a newborn in six months?"

Bella sported a wicked grin as Draco paled. He was beyond saving, he was going to be in so much trouble.

"I think we should wait. Surprise him, you know? We could hide the baby in a cake... have dancers, some streamers, balloons... oh! and a band!"

Draco nearly fainted.

Back at Malfoy Manor Narcissa had just woken up, and found the note left by Flitty. Bella really did have a way with words, she thought sarcastically as she put on her morning robe, she was just so open and descriptive with details of where she had taken her only child. Figuring she would leave them to it, whatever it was her son and sister were up to, she made her way out of her bedroom towards the kitchen. As she closed the door behind her, she caught sight of the brunette from last night standing awkwardly in her own bedroom doorway.

"Good morning…"

The younger witch smiled, feeling slightly intimidated by the sheer size of her surroundings.

"Good morning."

Narcissa smiled back, the poor girl looked like a deer in headlights!

"I was just on my way to breakfast, if you'd care to join me?"

Her attention was immediately fully focused on the blonde in front of her at the prospect of food. Nodding and following Narcissa down the winding stairs and round several corners, they made small talk about school and Hermione's plans for the future. The older witch thought she may as well get to know the young woman who had captured Bellatrix's attention, even if Bella had yet to admit to anything other than a fleeting interest in the woman.

During breakfast, the topic eventually meandered to Bellatrix, and the blonde explained that her sister had gone out for the day. Icy blue eyes didn't miss the briefest flash of disappointment across soft, delicate features. She couldn't even stay for breakfast this time, Hermione thought slightly bitterly as she excused herself from the table with a thankful smile at her hostess. A small part of Hermione still didn't doubt the intentions of older witch occupying her attention. A small part of her held onto the fragile hope that there was another, perfectly reasonable, explanation for her disappearing for the day and leaving Hermione alone with her sister in a strange place. The rest of Hermione is finding it steadily easier to ignore that small part.


	12. Chapter 12

Draco had just floo'd in from Harry's. It had not gone down well with the wizard that his boyfriend had knocked up one of his best friends. Narcissa took one look at her son and discretely ordered Flitty out to buy several gallons of Peanut Butter Cup along with as many bags of mini marshmallows as the elf could carry, and some elf wine. She was going to be prepared.

Across town, Harry funnelled his rage into redecorating. Plates smashed against walls, vases fractured, glass framed photos cracked, the door bent on its hinges, and even the light bulb fell from above in a shower of glittering fragments. Harry's anger only grew. It wasn't enough. He tried to snap his wand, but thankfully it resisted. Throwing the piece of wood down to join the scattering of broken pieces already on the floor, he flopped back onto his bed.

He had shared this bed with Draco. The thought, the memory, now made him feel sick. Grabbing his keys and his wallet, the young man walked over to his fireplace and threw powder onto the flame.

"Hermione Granger's house"

Arriving without warning, Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin when a dishevelled looking Harry stomped across her bedroom and started feeling on top of the wardrobe. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled the bottle of vintage firewhiskey down and unscrewed the top. He gulped down half the bottle of burning liquid before he stopped and opened Hermione's wardrobe. He pulled out the first top he saw and a pair of black jeans, the brunette's favourites as it happened.

"We're going out"

Harry left, headed for the kitchen without any further explanation, and allowing Hermione privacy to get changed while he finished his 'pre-drink'.

She was still surprised, but supposed a night out with her best mate could be fun. Besides, it was pretty clear Harry was not in a good way and needed to get out and go wild tonight. So, Hermione got ready for a night painting the town red. Or drowning Harry's sorrows until he passed out and she had to apparate them home. Whichever came first.

Hours later, both Harry and Hermione were having a fabulous time. They had found this little gay club called Dragon's Tongue on the edge of wizard and witching London, and were having a total blast singing along (badly) to the music, dancing, and being hit on by several hot guys - in Harry's case. Hermione had danced her ass off, and was recuperating by the bar enjoying watching her friend be chatted up by one particularly cute Bulgarian guy, he was tall, dark, and handsome, and just what Harry needed right now, when someone approached the stool next to her.

The woman said nothing, she simply stood there for a moment, gazing at the brunette. Feeling the gaze, Hermione turned and smiled at the beautiful woman.

Realising she was just standing there, the older witch giggled slightly, took Hermione's hand and kissed it.

"Sorry, you are so beautiful I forgot my pick up line."

Caught entirely off guard by this gorgeous witch and her brazen words, Hermione reddened slightly at the compliment. Dark blue eyes pierced into her own, and she noted the French accent. It was sexy as hell.

"Hermione"

"Fleur"

They grinned at each other. For some reason, maybe it was the copious chocolate martinis, Hermione was feeling daringly confident tonight.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Fleur nodded as she took the stool next to the brunette.

The night ended happily for both couples.


	13. Chapter 13

Fleur and Hermione had been dating for exactly three months to the day, as of tomorrow. That was why Fleur was in St John's Wood at that very moment, signing a lease. Things had been going so well between them, there didn't seem to be any point in waiting.

Not to Fleur anyway, Hermione had her reservations but had been keeping them well hidden.

As much as Hermione enjoyed the other witch's company, it wasn't enough. Harry had been telling her to give Fleur a chance, that developing true feelings takes time, and that maybe security is better than butterflies, but the words didn't reach his eyes. She didn't want to bring up her doubts... It would only lead to a discussion about Draco, and Harry seemed happy enough with Viktor, even if they didn't seem to get along on, well, most things.

Hermione pulled her thoughts back to the current situation and steeled her resolve. She had given them a chance, it had been nearly three months and the chemistry wasn't right. Now… she had to get up the courage to break it off.

On the other hand…. they really did get along well. They were compatible in most things, from favourite literary works to sense of humour; it was an easy going relationship. Plus their night time activities were more than satisfactory, if the noise complaints from the neighbours were anything to go by.

Hermione's mind was made for her the next morning, when Fleur kissed her and presented her with a small silver wrapped box. Still sleepy, Hermione smiled gratefully and undid the ribbon and tore the shiny paper off. She opened the box, and found a set of three keys inside. Fleur picked them up by the keychain and held each one out separately.

"This is for the front door, this is the garden door, and this is for the shed."

"You changed the locks? …but we don't have a garden… or a shed…"

Hermione was most definitely more than half asleep. Fleur laughed and kissed her girlfriend's cheek before whispering in her ear.

"We do now…. Happy three-monthaversary."

Hermione sat staring at the three keys placed back in the box for several minutes. Fleur paused when she noticed the only expression on Hermione's face was slight panic.

"We have a house. You found us a house?"

Her tone was neutral, if slightly strangled.

"So we could get a puppy… just like you wanted"

"I'm not even a dog person!"

Fleur stopped. She had been sure this was what was next for them. She had been completely positive that this was the perfect next step, and that Hermione would love it. So much for that idea. Fleur was hurt, she felt betrayed, and so she made up for it with anger.

They argued as Fleur packed the things she had been keeping at the brunette's. Hermione argued through her guilt, and Fleur persisted in covering up her pain with furious words and retaliations designed to hurt. Fleur was gone within the hour.

The break-up was soon pushed from her mind. Hermione got the call from Harry late in the afternoon.

Ginny had carried a tiny, forming body for six months, and now she had nothing to show for it. Hermione left for Ginny's without a second thought. The pale witch was curled up on the bathroom tiles clutching her stomach with Luna at her side, stroking her back and occasionally holding her hair back as the contents of her stomach escaped. Blood covered her skirt and drifted in streaks across the floor, soaking into Luna's jeans as she tried to console her love.

For a bizarre moment it looked as though Luna had stabbed Ginny in the gut, and held her as she bled to death. Perhaps that psychoticism would have been better. At least then the pain would have been over within a few minutes, permanently.

In the living room Draco and Harry were locked in a fierce embrace, as pain sneaked out of their eyes and rolled down faces to fall in drops on the other's shoulder. Neither had spoken since the conversation where Draco had told Harry, and that still held true. There was nothing worth saying now.

Ginny outright refused to go to the hospital. Until it was confirmed, she had a tiny shred of hope, a tiny light in the vast empty darkness looming over the would-be family. Her would-be family.

A few hours later, once the initial shock had worn off, Luna found the strength somehow, to join Hermione in convincing Ginny to go to the hospital. She would not lose Ginny because of this too. Ginny looked at Luna and saw her own pain reflected, as well as fear for her, and finally relented.

It was still early morning, or rather early the next morning, and Hermione had been kicked out as visiting hours were long since over. Luna had been allowed to stay at Ginny's unrelenting insistence, and Harry and Draco were still there, finally talking, under Harry's old invisibility cloak.

The witch knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, so there was no point going home. She simply couldn't face being cooped up alone today, those books would be of no comfort to her right now. So, for the first day in all the years she had worked at Flourish and Blotts, Hermione did not go to work.

Instead, she went to the only place she knew she could find the one person she wanted to see the most.


	14. Chapter 14

Bellatrix's resolve to not go back to the bookshop and explain why to Hermione she hadn't been there when she'd woken up, was slowly crumbling. As much as she convinced herself that she kept going to Diagon Alley for the lollipops, somehow she ended up gazing at the Flourish & Blotts storefront for a tad longer than could be considered normal. Okay, she stared at it for close to half an hour each visit. On the plus side, she was getting quite friendly with the Honeyduke's staff, to the point where they made her a personalised lollipop that had Bellatrix written on it in fancy calligraphy. Bella had loved it, and even taken special care to lick the other side first, so she could save the personalised side for as long as possible.

Hermione chided herself all the way to the door. It was ridiculous, they had only met a few times… she probably won't even remember you. Hermione didn't listen to that voice, she knew Bellatrix would remember her… and the darker witch had seemed as drawn to Hermione as the younger witch had felt to her. Still felt, in fact. Hermione's inner optimist and pessimist argued all the way up the street, round the corner, through the massive, ornate gates she didn't even realised she had opened and gone through, and all along the gravel pathway to the Manor house.

The dark witch had finally worked up the courage to go in under the pretence of buying a book. She was sure Rupert Atticus had written more books, and was sure Cissy would love them all. She was still smiling mischeviously smiling until she arrived, and realised that the shop was closed on Sundays. Laughing at the cruelty of fate, she went and got another lollipop for her collection. She would probably have to start working out more at this rate. And maybe find a spell to protect her teeth from the sugar. She shook her head at the thought, she was starting to sound more and more like the over-protective Narcissa.

Ringing the bell, Hermione stood on the step outside Black Manor. Flitty answered the door looking very surprised, but was happy to give Miss Bellatrix's friend directions to Mistress's room.

No less determined, Bella had returned the next day, bright and early Monday morning, to find the shop was still closed. It may have been fairly early, but it was past the usual time the store opened. Bellatrix knew that for a fact. Her brow creased as she looked for any kind of notice or sign that would explain this behaviour. Flourish & Blotts had never been closed on a Monday before… this was truly odd.

Sighing, Bellatrix bypassed Honeydukes this time, and headed straight for the Three Broomsticks to get a drink. Behind her, she heard the sound of the shop shutter lifting, she turned grinning, to see a teenage boy she had never seen before performing the spell. The grin dropped. A brief interrogation found that he was Tommy Blotts, grandson of one of the owners, and he was in charge for the day. The boy didn't know anything beyond that, nor how to contact Hermione.

The best laid plans often go awry…

Hermione followed the elf's directions, but no one was in Bellatrix's room. Deciding she may as well wait there, she wandered around restlessly. Several objects seemed to be dark magic, best to steer clear of them, both her instincts and logic informed her.

Hermione then realised she probably looked like shit after being awake for nearly 24 hours and crying pretty much that entire time. She decided to go back to the room she had stayed in, she could use the bathroom there, freshen up and be back in a jiffy. Hopefully not missing Bellatrix in the process.

Bella had decided to get a bottle of Firewhiskey to go, and return home. It wouldn't do to waste any more time on this fruitless excursion, she could see the brunette and embarrass Narcissa another day.

Hermione was just about to walk in, assuming the room was unoccupied, when she caught sight of the thin strip of light coming from under the door. She opened the door slightly and peered around it. There was a soft glow of light came from a lamp on the table near the door, the light reached across the room in a halo, but did not extend out very far. She had to look further into the darkness before Hermione saw what she thought was Bella's silhouette looking at… something in her hands, as she sat cross legged on the bed.

If nothing else, today had made Hermione realise that life was too short to be wasted, and every chance was worth the risk if it was for something you wanted. There was no point holding back.

Whether it was grief clouding her judgement, or carnal desire finally fuelled by a new-found confidence, the only thing Hermione wanted at that moment was to feel the darker witch's lips on her own.

Andromeda didn't notice the woman stood slightly in the doorframe, and she barely registered the figure step slowly and purposefully across the room to arrive her side, before soft lips were attached to and caressing her own.

Bella traipsed up the stairs of Black Manor and down the corridor to her room. She was almost there when she saw light spilling freely from the open door of the bedroom next to her own. Oh great… Andy was home. She supposed she'd better greet her annoying younger sibling. Andromeda did have her fun side, especially if Bella could get her to drink a bit of the Firewhiskey she'd brought…

Bellatrix arrived in the doorway just in time to see Hermione's lips touch Andromeda's.


	15. Chapter 15

Bellatrix couldn't quite describe the feeling in her chest when she saw their lips touch, and the brunette's hand rise to caress Andromeda's cheek. There was only a faint ache.

She turned back to face the corridor, and walked the last few steps to her room quickly. The bottle of firewhiskey was small, and empty soon enough. Bella let it roll onto the floor. It was soon joined by two empty bottles of Quintin Black's.

Deciding she needed more alcohol and possibly, no definitely, some ice cream, Bella tried to call for Flitty. When no elf appeared, Bella set off on a quest to the kitchen herself.

Humming the Mission Impossible theme song (she had watched muggle movies as a teenager to rebel against her parents), she snuck down the corridor. The doors were thankfully all shut. However, they weren't soundproofed, so any occupants could quite clearly hear Bella coming.

She made it to the kitchen uninterrupted, and opened the freezer. To her surprise, a tub of ice cream fell out, and she wasn't quick enough to avoid being hit on the toe. Damn Peanut Butter Cup. Bella sat on the floor, cradling her foot, and examined her throbbing toe. It didn't look any worse for wear, but she felt sorry for herself anyway. Still holding her foot delicately, she looked into the freezer properly for the first time since she'd opened it and been attacked by flying ice cream. The entire three shelves were chockablock full of Peanut Butter Cup.

Bella groaned. Why would you fill a whole freezer with the worst tasting ice cream?! It was all about Half-Baked Alaska….

Hearing laughter behind her, Bella turned around to find Andromeda in the doorway outright giggling. The sight of the usually very imposing and in-control Bellatrix Black, sat on the kitchen floor clutching a tub of ice cream in one hand and her own foot in the other, was just too much for her younger sister to handle. Hermione chose that moment to appear in the doorway besides Andromeda, looking first at the laughing woman confusedly, and then to a pouting Bellatrix on the floor.

"My toe got hurt…"

Bellatrix said matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything. Which in a way, it did. If they were going to treat her like a child, she was damn well going to act like one. Besides, she had a boo-boo…

Two hours later another two bottles of rum was gone, and both Andromeda and Hermione had blown copious kisses towards Bella's foot at her demands for them to 'kiss it better'. They both refused to kiss her toe.

As Hermione had so eloquently said "Ewwwwww", which only made Bella laugh more as she hobbled around Andromeda lying on the floor and after the younger witch, with a mischievous look on her face.

"No, no. I was only kidding. Feetsies are not for kisses"

Bella was very good at sounding matter-of-fact when she was rat-arsed. Andromeda laughed as she managed to get up, and stumbled out the door towards the kitchen for more of the mini marshmallows they had found invading every single cupboard in the kitchen.

"Oh really? So you're gonna stop thrusting your foot in my face?" Hermione teased.

Bella's grin lit up her face completely, and for a moment Hermione was so entranced she forgot to breathe.

"Yes, Really."

Realising Bellatrix's mouth was moving and that she should definitely be paying attention, Hermione nodded.

"Lips are for kisses."

Hermione's brain just had time to comprehend what the darker witch had said, before she was completely frozen. Bella's beaming smile was gone, replaced with a dark, sultry look that Hermione could only describe as completely and utterly seductive. Hermione would have gulped if she had retained any control of her body. As it was, Hermione could only blink as the darker witch leaned closer to her.


	16. Chapter 16

Catching the slight uncertainty in deep brown eyes, seemed to kick-start Hermione into action, and she closed the small distance still between them.

A storm of butterflies started dancing the rhumba through Hermione's chest, and Bellatrix felt a rush push through her, leaving her feeling as though she were so light she would simply start to float.

Bella's arm slid around the brunette's waist, pulling her closer. She wanted to lose herself in this woman, in this moment, she wanted to get so totally lost she wouldn't be able to find her way back to reality. Hermione's hand slid around Bella's neck, deepening the kiss, wanting more and more of this connection, wanting more of this feeling.

A glass smashed onto the floor, and both witches sprang away from each other, looking towards the sound.

"Er… the house elves will probably know how to erm… I mean, where the gloves would be. You know, for the bits of glass. I'll…. I'll come back later. Don't cut yourselves!"

Andromeda vanished in the blink of an eye.

As did the moment.

Attempting to avoid an awkward breakfast meeting, Hermione crept down to the kitchen at the crack of dawn.

Unfortunately, Andromeda had the same idea.

For the first time, maybe ever, Bella was also awake, not to mention hungry, bright and early.

After exchanging brief smiles with her and Bella as she breezed in moments after herself, passing the cereal, and several moments of quiet, Andy broke the silence

"So this is awkward"

A spoon paused on it's way from bowl to mouth. For the first time in a long time, Bella looked guilty.

The only other time Bella had that look on her face, was when they were around 9 and 5, and Bella had accidentally Sectum Sempre'd Andy's pet tortoise. In her defence it was truly an accident. If only Speedy had lived up to his name...

The look was gone in a moment, replaced by one of vague disinterest and a wave of her hand.

"Oh come on sister dearest, you've seen me do worse"

A wicked grin adorned her features.

"Merlin, we've d-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence"

Andromeda glared at her sister with a look that was all business, and was met only with a mischevious grin.

Hermione looked between the two, not realising she was smiling at their antics. It was strange how she felt... As though this was exactly where she was always meant to be. As though she belonged.

Bella and Andy saw her grin, glanced back at each other, and an imperceptible nod was exchanged. Hermione remained blissfully unaware of their truce for a whole two seconds, before she was being attacked by tickles from all directions.

"Noooooo no no no!"

It was hard to sound authoritative in between unstoppable giggles.


	17. Chapter 17

As Andromeda was now back and the house was still unfamiliar territory, Hermione had retired to Bella's chambers last night, and insisted that both of them were going to wear pyjamas. She didn't tell the darker, now sulking, witch that it was because she didn't want to ruin anything by going too fast. They had all the time in the world.

"Can I take you out? Properly I mean"

Hermione snuggled closer into Bella, still asleep, as the dark haired witch absentmindedly ran brunette strands through her fingers.

"Like on a date… no, how did Draco say to do this…"

She mused, still caressing brown locks.

Hermione tried not to smile. She had actually been awake for a little while and was enjoying the warmth of the bed and the surprising vulnerability of the dark witch beside her.

Magicking a specific roll of parchment from the desk to her lap, she read through Draco's 'dating advice' as he called it. It was really just a list of pick up lines that had worked for him at some point.

"I don't have a library card, but do you mind if I check you out… Now that's just ridiculous"

She carried on scanning the list

"Do you work at Starbucks? Because I like you a latte…. Are you a banana? Because I find you a-peeling…"

Merlin, what's wrong with young people these days. These lines actually worked?! Her nephew had to be kidding.

"Have you been to the doctor lately? Cause I think you're lacking some Vitamin Me…"

If Bella had known what face-palming was, she would have done it at that moment.

This was a disaster. Hermione deserved better than these cringe-worthy lines. Plus there was no way she would say yes… What happened to the good old-fashioned method of buying someone a drink and giving them a compliment? And no, she was not including 'a-peeling' in the compliments category.

Noticing Bellatrix tense slightly, Hermione peeked at her briefly, as saw a frown darkening pale features.

She was becoming caught up in a cycle of negative thoughts… bordering insecurities, even if she would never admit it. The age gap was bothering her. Not knowing some of the lingo (what on earth was a Starbucks?!) was another sign that they were more than just a few years apart.

Bella felt Hermione shift into a sleepy stretch, and smiled at her sleepy yawn.

"Hey you"

"Good morning… I think… what time is it?"

"That… is a good question. FLIT-"

The call was cut short as soft lips pressed into her own, quickly turning the sound into a moan. The contact was interrupted far too soon in the darker witch's opinion.

"I'd rather Flitty didn't see us… like…"

She gestured at them in their pyjamas.

Bella's gaze followed her hand, and raised an eyebrow upon catching her eye before smiling her usual seductive smile. Also as usual, for a moment, Hermione forgot to breathe.

However, the seductive look soon turned into a suspicious one as Bella paused and narrowed her eye.

"Wait… how long were you really awake?"

Before she could respond, Narcissa dramatically flung open the double doors into Bellatrix's room. Without so much as a wayward glance towards the vicinity of the bed, she marched across to the heavy velvet drapes and flung those open too.

"Bellatrix, it is 2 o'clock in the afternoon. What on earth possessed you to stay in bed when there-"

The end of the admonishment died in her throat as she caught sight of the young brunette sitting in Bella's bed, covering her panda pj's with a bedsheet in one hand and waving awkwardly with the other.

"Helloo Mrs Malfoy…"

The blonde woman inclined her head slightly in greeting, sent a glare to her sister, and marched straight back out.

Through the still open doors, they heard her footsteps retreating down the hall. After a beat the sound stopped for a moment, before the click-clack of heels returned. She swung the doors half closed, before poking her head through the gap.

"Dinner will be served at 7 o'clock sharp"

Bella and Hermione looked at each other.

The door finally clicked shut and a silencing charm was cast, just in time for both to burst into laughter before Hermione retreated into hiding under the covers.

"Well that was mortifying."

"You do like to make an impression on members of my family…"

Bella teased, joining Hermione underneath the covers.

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture was innocent, yet held an intimacy that was foreign to both of them.

Hermione gently took Bella's hand before she could withdraw it, and kissed her palm.

Light brown eyes met dark, both nervously shy, both hesitant, both becoming entirely caught up in the other.

Hermione was the first to look away, and glance down at their now entwined hands…. when did that happen?

"So… do you find me a-peeling?"

Hermione grinned wickedly as she glanced slyly back up at Bella, who was caught off guard for a moment before glaring back with an impressive Black glare.

"No, in fact I find you quite horrid. You can leave now"

Bella pushed her away slightly and turned to face the other direction.

The playful sarcasm was not lost on the younger witch.

"Aw… even if I say how amazing you are? And how pretty you look in the morning I could look at you for hours"

"…go on"

"And I do like you a latte…."

Bella took a moment to transfigure a sizeable soft mattress onto the floor on Hermione's side of the bed, before she pushed the brunette off entirely.

Bella dissolved into laughter at the look on her face and Hermione's surprised squeak as she fell off.

However, ever prepared for a battle (except when tickles were involved), Hermione grabbed the nearest pillow and hit Bella as soon as her cheeky grin appeared peeking over the edge of the bed.

A slightly more dishevelled looking Bellatrix reappeared over the edge seconds later.

"Oh, you thought this was going to be a fair battle?"

Before Hermione could comprehend what she had just started, what could only be described as a swarm of pillows flew up from around the room, and rushed at her simultaneously.

Hermione surrendered.

Well, she pretended to, before forming her own fleet of pillows and ambushing Bella mid-victory revels.

Neither was sure who won the battle in the end, but really, lying back together in between huge mountains of pillows, neither of them cared.


	18. Chapter 18

After debating - on Hermione's part, Bella was preoccupied with giving her neck kisses - whether or not Hermione was ready to stay for dinner with the Black and Malfoy tribes combined, they decided instead to procrastinate it on their first official date funnily enough, although neither actually used the term.

Hermione was pretty keen on getting Bella to try one of the muggle triumphs: hot drinks and biscuits in a coffee shop. Besides, then they could find a quiet corner at the back to relax and actually talk. It took Hermione in particular by surprise that they didn't really know much about each other yet…

Downstairs, Draco was in the midst of preparing dinner. It was probably the first time he had attempted such a thing, and the magical smoke alarms could tell. In fact they were cheering him on quite loudly with their insistent beeping.

As such Narcissa, who was already not having the best day, muttered a silencio and sighed. Shewas slightly regretting not instructing Flitty to prepare some form of back up meal.

After the brussel sprouts had melted (I mean who knew they could do that), Draco was at the end of his tether.

Then the gravy started smoking again, and the previously silenced smoke alarms started their cheering once more. It was the last straw.

"Argh! I give up!"

Draco was only even attempting cooking to impress his mother before delivering some pretty important news. He was going to propose to Harry. Although he wasn't sure how preparing dinner himself would help his mother and the rest of the family accept their relationship (Harry's idea), he was pretty sure starving them beforehand wouldn't help.

Hermione and Bellatrix were coming down to the foyer as a very flustered Draco stormed out of the kitchen. He paced along the hallway, gesturing as he went.

"Why is the kitchen against me?! I swear that stove has an evil agenda…"

Bella hid a grin, remembering her own recent attempts in the kitchen, and for none other than the brunette standing next to her on the bottom step of the staircase.

"Cooking is just not our forte, Doodlebug"

Draco was too exasperated to notice Bella's use of his childhood nickname, but it didn't slip past Hermione who covered up a grin. She'd definitely have to remember that one for later.

Noticing his aunt's cloak for the first time, he asked "Are you two going out?"

Hermione looked to Bella briefly before replying

"Yeah, we're going to Oxford Street… it's muggle London, past Diagon Alley… Bella needs to try a proper hot chocolate with shortbread."

Hermione was starting to ramble a bit. Draco only heard shortbread.

"Food? Right, well then, let me just grab my cloak and we'll go"

"Draco…"

Bella may love her nephew, but she was not going to let him muscle in on what would essentially be their first date. Unaware of her sister's desire for privacy, Narcissa chose that moment to fake a cough from the doorway.

"Going somewhere?"

Draco smiled sweetly and put on a more childish tone. In the past few minutes he had completely forgotten he was meant to be cooking chiefly for her.

"Mother… not without you. Come on, we're going for shortbread and tropical chocolate"

"Hot chocolate" Hermione corrected quickly

"What she said. Right, Accio cloaks. Shall we?"

He passed Narcissa one of her autumn cloaks, before holding the door open for the three witches to pass through.

Once they were outside, he called for Flitty and briefly instructed her to tidy up the kitchen while they were gone.

Narcissa didn't miss the exchange and raised an eyebrow

"And what exactly needs tidying in my kitchen?"

"Imayormaynothavexplodedachicken…whileitwasstillalive…andburntsomegravy…ohandmeltedsomevegetables…butdon'tworryI'msureFlitty'lltidyituprightasraininfivesecondsnoproblem"

Now it was Draco's turn to ramble, and do it as quickly as possible so he didn't have to lie but his mother would hopefully not be able to catch it all. No such luck. However, he didn't give his mother time to respond more than raising her eyebrows close to her hairline before grabbing her hand and apparating them all to around the corner from Oxford Street.

"Now, where's Moondollars?"

Between Bella and Hermione's quiet exasperation at not being able to be alone together, and Narcissa's stunned and confused shock at her imagined state of the kitchen, Draco seemed to be the only cheerful one in the group.


	19. Chapter 19

It was after reading a particularly captivating book on magical theory concepts that Hermione decided to attempt potion-making. Well that and the bouts of depression Ginny had been going through since the miscarriage. Though these episodes were less intense and becoming rarer, Hermione still felt helpless to be there for her friend. There was nothing she could say or do, other than visiting the couple and bring them the honeysuckle candies Ginny loved as well as the Palma Violets Luna was sure prevented Nargle-pox. Still, it wasn't much nor did it feel like nearly enough.

This particular strand of magical theory broached the idea that certain combinations of herbs mixed with nuts and seeds were thought to alter physical DNA, potentially permanently. Although the only research into this so far was limited to the creation and existence of blue unicorns for two weeks through mixing a narwhale and horse DNA. If she could find a way to make the DNA fuse for longer, ideally forever, it could be used to create offspring between two humans. In this case, a child that was half of both of them, for Ginny and Luna. If it didn't work long-term… well that didn't bare thinking about just yet.

Now, if she could only figure out the right weight of acorn powder….

Bella had been pacing by the window for the past fifteen minutes.

He was always bloody doing this. Making her wait as if she didn't have anything better to do-

There was a pop of apparition outside the gate

"Finally" she whispered under the breath

She waited for the doorbell to go, and Flitty to escort her visitor into her father's old study before walking as slowly as possible to greet him.

He was lounging on the sofa when she entered.

His attitude was already wearing what little patience she still had, quite thin.

"Bella" Even the way he rose from the charm to greet her dripped smarm. What was once a handsome smile broke across his face; Bellatrix may have been biased, but this time it merely seemed to deepen his wrinkles and show off his yellow teeth.

She ran her tongue across her own. She wasn't sure she could stand it if her teeth were a tenth of that dirty.

But business was business.

"Rod, how nice of you to come"

She turned his attempted lip contact into an air kiss on each cheek before holding him at arm's length, as though admiring his form, though truth be told it was to keep him from attempting any other kind of contact.

"Been working out?"

Oblivious and pleased, he flexed his bicep quickly

"Maybe here and there… when I have time"

That greasy grin returned, and turned Bella's stomach slightly. Blood and gore she could handle just fine, but that level of creepy was something else.

It really wasn't his fault his was a slimeball, Bella tried to remind herself, she should feel sorry for him really. She paused, when had she become such a softie? She must be getting old.

Without missing a beat Bella dropped her arms and gestured towards the chaise-lounge, before taking the armchair for herself.

After brief small talk and as much as she could bare of Rodolphus' narcissistic stories, Bella focused on what they were really here for

"Rod…"

He glanced up from his mint tea

"You know, I've been thinking"

She had to be delicate with this… it could very easily blow up in her face.

"A dangerous pursuit for a woman"

Bella couldn't hide her instant scowl, but turned it into a chuckle before he noticed

"Quite." She wanted to smash his face into that tea cup and beat him with the pieces.

"Anyway, I've been thinking about how unfair things can be sometimes."

She restrained herself and continued.

"After all, you are a very handsome man, and with things being the way they are…" She had long ago told him she was infertile. Neither love nor money could convince her to share a bed with that man more than once. "And how unfair it is that you have to be tied to silly old me…"

He was nodding, this was definitely a good sign "…when you could have your pick of the pretty young purebloods."

The gleam in his eye was unmistakable. He was on the hook… now to reel him in.

"What are you suggesting, dear?"

"Hmm? Oh nothing, nothing… truly. I just thought it was such a pity that there won't be any male heirs to the Lestrange line… What with Rabastan being, well being the way he is."

Rodolphus put his cup down with force. The vein in his temple was starting to show.

"Yes… that situation is unfortunate."

His homophobic anger dulled as he refocused on what his wife had said. Bellatrix sipped her honeyed water quietly with glee.

"And you would be alright with that?"

"Whatever do you mean dearest?"

"With me… if I were to… if there were to be… Lestrange heirs."

Bellatrix was already imagining signing the divorce papers

"But how, Rod? I mean if you were to cheat… " Bella pretend to be taken aback

They both knew the consequences of breaching a pureblood marriage contract. It made the unbreakable vow consequences seem like child's play.

Quick to react Rod shook his head "Oh no, my sweet one. I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but you are quite right. The Lestranges need an heir and with Rabastan's infliction…"

He was mumbling to himself by this point. The fool genuinely thought he was having ideas here.

This is why he deserves my pity. The thought soon crossed her mind that perhaps straight up killing him would have been pity enough. Plus it would've been more fun for her… She dismissed it with a slight uncontrollable twitch, Askaban just wasn't worth it.

"Bella… I'm so sorry to ask this, truly I am." He got up and kneeled next to Bellatrix imploringly. He took her hand and continued "Will you grant me a divorce?"

"Oh Rod, this is so sudden… totally out of the blue! …I don't know"

"Please, Bella"

She wouldn't mind see the pathetic man beg more often.

"I know we are married in name only, but I need an heir! And preferably a back up… and you…"

She covered her face with one hand as though the pain were too much. Too right it was too much, it was a true struggle not to laugh in his pathetically dim-witted face by this stage.

"Bella, know we've been through a lot but…" He was actually struggling for words here

How she had tolerated being legally bound to this man for so many years she just didn't know in that moment. It surprised her. She was used to tolerating things, most things, until tolerating things just wasn't enough anymore and she needed to destroy everything in her path.

There was a use to hiding her anger behind madness ...or intoxication. No one thought to question it.

She glanced at Rodolphus from the corner of her eye and came to the conclusion she was either blind or stupid to still be in this marital contract.

She needed to do this for herself, fuck the consequences.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

Hermione dragged her out of her self-made world of madness without even realising it. Not once had she thrown something or her… or flown off the handle. Damn woman was changing her Bella concluded… she craved the intelligent conversation, their actual connection… She wouldn't miss her soon-to-be ex husband, who made her feel slightly nauseous to look at.

"Yes."

Rodolphus kissed her hand before getting up and kissing her forehead.

It took all of her willpower not to wipe her hand and forehead to get rid of any trace of himself he left behind.

"Thank you, my love"

He headed towards to door, leaving her to her emotions so he thought. Hand on the doorknob he turned back for a moment

"I'll have my owl deliver the paperwork tomorrow… my love"

As he closed the door behind him, he thought he heard a laugh, and shook his head. Bella must be crying quite hard. He'd never heard her make that noise before.

Frustrated with the slow progress her potion was making, Hermione decided to call it a night. She went to bed early and completely missed the letter waiting for her on her bedside table.

A/N

So apparently canon can be canon when it suits the story. Perhaps I should change this to part-time AU…


	20. Chapter 20

Come over, we have things to celebrate…

Hermione was feeling a lot better after a good night's rest, and had instantly noticed the out of place letter on her desk. For a moment she had been worried it was from work, she should really be on her way there now, but she couldn't resist dropping by the manor to see what Bella's good news was.

The young witch thought it must be important if the dark-haired witch was already awake and sending owls. Her alam hadn't even gone off yet, it was barely dawn.

…it couldn't be some kind of anniversary, not already. No way. Wait …could it? She grabbed a small tidily wrapped box with a gift tag already reading Bella from her drawer and stuffed it quickly into her pocket on the way. This is why she was prepared... Just in case.

Bellatrix however, was still fast asleep.

Narcissa and Lucius were both off doing their various things, it was around the time Flitty went shopping for them all, and Draco was back at his own home, so Hermione was left standing on the doorstep.

Her isolated state was soon interrupted by the arrival of a brown speckled owl. It looked quite business like, and held a heavy parchment attached to its leg. Very heavy judging by the way the owl was struggling to remain airborne.

Trying to assist the creature, Hermione attempted to take the thick envelope, only to be pecked at quite ferociously. She tried again, with much the same result. She glared at the owl, who ignored her choosing instead to peck on the wooden door at regular intervals.

There was no way Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, was going to be outdone by a stubborn owl. She slyly flickered her wand and severed the string holding the letter to the owl's leg.

If owls could look surprised, this one did. However, as though it seemed not to care now its mission was done, it flapped off regardless.

Bending down to pick up the fallen envelope, Hermione realised a splitsecond too late that her spell had also sliced part of the seal off. Several parchments rolled out onto the gravel, still wet from last night's thunderstorm – or so she heard. Hermione had slept straight through it all.

She picked up the soggy papers and was in the process of drying them while preserving the ink when, she heard a tell-ale pop of apparition. She rang the doorbell again.

"Bella! Flitty! It's Hermione!"

It had to be one of the two. Or so she hoped, meeting Lucius or Narcissa this morning would just be awkward.

The house elf rushed to the door and let her in, casting a warming spell as they went. Now why didn't I think to do that…

"Thank you" She smiled at the little elf, who curtsied then ran to the kitchen shyly to continue her morning duties.

Hermione was putting down the papers, ready to slot them back into the envelope when she saw the title. It appeared to be a front page, covered in enormous bold letters

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THE MARRIAGE OF ONE MISS BELLATRIX NÉE BLACK TO ONE RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE ON THIS DAY THE 26TH OF AUGUST 1968.

Hermione blinked. She breathed. She stood there, as though waiting for that big brain of hers to come up with an answer as to why, how, what…. Bellatrix was married. She had been married since… Bella coulnd't have been more than seventeen. She was married. There wasn't any kind of 'void' stamp on it, Merlin she didn't even know if that's how getting a divorce worked.

A laugh bubbled inside her chest. This was ridiculous... They had barely been on one date, why would Bella tell her? The older witch didn't owe her anything.

Hermione was her mistress...

She stopped laughing.

That explained their first morning. Bella had stayed for breakfast because she wanted to play house. Because she wanted to play happy families and pretend she had… whatever she saw in Hermione. Or perhaps she was just trying to be nice after drunkenly wooing me into her bed, she contemplated bitterly. It was easy to forget for the moment how well they had fit together, drunkenly or not, they worked somehow. They made… sense.

On autopilot she put the certificate and the various papers behind it back into the envelope. She sealed it shut once more and left, berating herself as she went.

You really have to learn when to quit, Granger, she's only out to use you.


	21. Chapter 21

Andromeda closed the door with a triumphant smile. The court hearing had gone better than expected, Teddy would remain in the family.

Now she just had to regress about twenty five years and remember how to raise a child… although things would be harder now, before she'd had Ted to help.

Andromeda thought of Nymphadora in her infancy… she'd been such a happy child. Scaring all the muggle children in the park by morphing and quacking at them with a duck's bill and bubblegum pink hair when she thought the adults weren't watching.

And that other time, before they knew she could change, when she was barely crawling and she accidentally morphed her nose into a trunk. It surprised her so much she fell down and cried for five whole seconds before realising it was much more useful than a regular nose for grabbing things to play with. Regular noses were really no fun at all.

Her little Dora had been amazing… as every mother thinks their child to be. She could be still… Andromeda tried to convince herself, her Dora was still alive, still in their somewhere…

After three months it had become too much. Teddy was at the age when he would start being able to remember things, and seeing his mother come home piss-drunk most nights was not one of the fond moments she wanted to form his first memory. Especially during full moons when there was no one else to look after him.

All mother's know their children grow up, just as all daughters will remain their mother's little angels. Yet for the life of her, she couldn't see what had pushed her darling Tonks to this.

Between Tonks now being in rehabilitation and Remus struggling to control his inner wolf once a month, Andromeda had taken charge. A discreet lawyer and calling in a few favours had gotten them all sorted out in a few days, Andy would be the legal guardian until the parents were fit to again, and the press were none the wiser.

Even though she had been disowned, the papers still loved a good story about any part of the Black family, past or present.

A wave of relief passed over Andy as she leant her back against the door and let herself relax for the first time since she'd found out Dora was no longer in control of her drinking.

It was at this moment, that Hermione was upstairs getting a patent for the first stage of her new potion.

It worked.

She hadn't broken the good news to Luna and Ginny yet, as there hadn't actually been any human trials yet, it had only worked with an assortment of animals from angel fish to kangaroos. But, for the most part it worked first time around… so Hermione and her new assistant were hopeful.

Pleased that the process had taken a far shorter time than she'd dared to hope, Hermione was also feeling pretty chipper as she pressed the button for the lift.

After a few moments the doors pinged open. Hermione walked into the lift, saw the button for her floor was already lit, and simply stood with the rest of the crowd waiting for the doors to close.

"Forgotten me already?"

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin when a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

She turned and had to do a double take.

Merlin's beard.

What was Bellatrix do at the ministry? in the lift? with her? at this exact moment on this exact day in this precise lift?

Exhaustion combined with forgetting to eat and now the intense rush of adrenaline made her feel ready to faint.

The hazel brown eyes registered her surprise with a smirk.

Wait… that wasn't the right smirk, it wasn't crooked… and her eyes were a shade too light….

"Aaaa?" A faint croaking noise left Hermione's throat.

She coughed and tried again

"Andromeda?"

"The one and only"

The smirk grew as she handed Hermione a bottle of water without missing a beat.

Hermione saw the differences more clearly now, even in the unflattering light in the lift.

It wasn't so much a smirk… it was just a downright cheeky grin.

"What are you doing here?"

Andromeda didn't mean to ignore the question, truly she didn't. In fact she rather liked the younger witch… she was cute when she was tongue-tied.

However something else had absorbed her attention in its entirety. Or rather, someone.

"Bella…"

This time it was Andy's turn to be flustered.

Both clearly not expecting to see each other, gazed with intensity at their estranged sister.

To her credit Bella recovered quickly, giving a curt nod

Andromeda and Bellatrix had not shared a space together since the foyer at Black Manor. Bella had caught her trying to leave, running away without so much as a goodbye.

"Andy"

Neither noticed they had called each other by the familiarity of their nicknames. They hadn't called each other their full names for years… although they hadn't seen each other to call the other anything for many years as well.

Hermione had turned to face Andromeda, and thus hadn't seen Bellatrix standing outside the opening lift doors.

If not for Andromeda's reaction and hearing the dulcet tones she could not forget if she wanted to, Hermione wouldn't have noticed her at all from where she was standing.

Busy avoiding her sister's direction, Bella wouldn't have noticed Hermione either if not for a whispered civil "Hello Bella" and a sideways glance towards her.

What were the chances.

By this point, Hermione was rather wishing she'd taken the stairs.


	22. Chapter 22

Earlier that day

Bellatrix held the rolled up parchment tightly in her hand. This was it; she was now, officially, a single woman again…

It was strange though, that she didn't feel free. There wasn't the sense of relief she expected, or the feeling of a weight leaving her shoulders, she simply felt empty.

She sighed; a side effect of being able to distance oneself from one's emotions was the end result of feeling very little emotion at all.

Or perhaps it didn't quite feel real. She'd been legally bound to the same person for nearly half her life, any change of that magnitude was bound to feel surreal.

She was pondering these things, until the lift arrived and the doors opened smoothly to reveal a tired-looking Andromeda and the back of a head she recognised.

She looked upwards and sent a quick curse to the heavens before stepping into the compartment abruptly, trying to ignore the mounting adrenaline levels pumping through her veins..

Present moment

A few awkward moments in which no one knew where to look later, had Bella quickly marching out of the lift and out in the throng of people on the street outside as soon as humanly possible. Andromeda and Hermione watched her go as they exited more slowly. Black family interactions were a lot harder sober.

As soon as she had left the building Bella's feet took her around the corner into an empty alleyway, where she could let her panic out.

Hermione couldn't see her today, she would know. Somehow Bellatrix was sure the Gryffindor would have developed some kind of mind-reading power that would tell her Bella was in the process of a divorce. Bellatrix's irrational thoughts lead her to pacing up and down the large grey cobbles, though she remained careful to stay hidden in the darkness.

In the few minutes it took her to calm down and decide to accidentally-on-purpose bump into Hermione and invite her out to lunch, was the same amount of time it took her sister to do the same.

Andromeda offered Hermione her arm, and together they walked down the street towards a little café on the corner.

Bellatrix saw them pass the alley she was in, and saw them linking arms. She groaned internally, nothing good could come from her spending time with Andy.

She was torn between going after them and whisking Hermione away, before she remembered what had gotten made Andromeda her estranged sister in the first place. Hermione was smart, she would figure out on her own that Andy was an asshole. Leaving her faith somewhat begrudgingly in the hands of Hermione and her brain, she apparated back home, half convincing herself that she was giving Andromeda a chance to prove she'd change by trusting her with Hermione.

If Bella had remained in Diagon Alley, she would have seen that trust was short lived.

After finishing delicious sandwiches and moving on to cups of tea, there was a lull in the flowing conversation in which Andy tilted her head and looked at Hermione with a strange look in her eye.

"So, I hear you met Bella on the Knight Bus"

Hermione put down her cup of tea and smiled

"Yeah, she sat next to me… it feels like a lifetime ago now!"

There was another brief pause as Andromeda let a small sad smile play on her lips before she spoke again

"You know, I was meant to go out that night…"

Hermione looked at her curiously

"Oh I didn't make it because of Nymphadora. Things were… are, a bit all over the place"

Hermione thought for a moment

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No… Thank you dear, that's quite kind of you to offer. Although, I must admit I didn't bring this up to elicit your sympathies, thought they are appreciated nonetheless"

"Oh?"

"I am simply curious you see…"

Andromeda leant forward slightly, and took the brunette's hand in her own as she continued to talk

"…about what might have happened, if I had been there that night."

Hermione was staring at the warm soft hand holding her own

"Oh"

It came out as more of a squeak than anything else.


	23. Chapter 23

Hermione carefully extracted her hand from Andromeda's. The warmth had been slightly smothering.

"Andy, you know I'm with Bella"

Andromeda leans back in her chair and considers the younger witch.

"Are you?"

The Gryffindor suddenly felt as though she was treading on very thin ice in the middle of a very large lake.

"I mean we haven't really spoken about it but… Andy, it doesn't matter. Labels aren't for people anyway!"

Andromeda's cool, amused gaze was quickly growing frosty and a lot less entertained.

"The point, is that…"

The young witch cleared her throat and reminded herself that she did not need to feel intimated, it was only Andy.

"The point is that I like Bellatrix."

She finished lamely, trying not to give too much away without hurting Andy in the process. Not that the woman sitting regally opposite her as though she were a snow-leopard about to pounce on a mouse looked hurt. Far from it.

What could easily have dissolved into an argument or sheer awkwardness vanished as a smile reappeared on Andy's face.

Hermione allowed herself an internal cheer for a moment, before Andy's words made her swallow thickly.

"Of course dear, follow your heart. Although I should warn you about my… Bella. She is easily distracted by new… playthings"

The waiter came over with the bill which Andromeda promptly paid, and stood, offering Hermione a hand.

"I however, am not so easily moved"

The smile would have been charming if not for the slight shiver it sent down Hermione's spine.

After leaving Andromeda on the corner of Diagon Alley, Hermione let out a breath and forced her shoulders to relax.

Clearing her mind, she tried to remember why she had agreed to go down Diagon Alley in the first place.

Ah yes, to get a wedding present for Draco and Harry. Hermione smiled, the wedding was next weekend and she was looking forward to spending some time with all of her favourite people in one place. Although it was going to be… interesting, to see Harry and Bella in a confined space.


	24. Chapter 24

Trigger warning: Non-con

The day of Draco and Harry's wedding had finally arrived, and the ceremony had gone off without a hitch.

Guests were piled into the Burrow, eating and drinking in a room filled to the brim with chatting and laughing. It seemed everyone was in high spirits and out to enjoy themselves tonight!

Unfortunately, the happiness and frivolities did not extent to the rest of the world. While Fred dragged Hermione into another hyper-speed waltz around the entire ground floor and Bella slyly put more and more Firewhiskey into the supposedly non-alcoholic punch, another figure was putting the final touches on her outfit before heading off to the party herself.

She took a long chug from a bottle, then secured a flask with the same coloured substance in it to her hip. After putting on her exquisitely decorated emerald green gown with silver detail, she made sure both the flask and her wand were within easy reach, before stepping over the second unconscious body on the floor and into the fireplace.

With a second thought, she levitated one body onto the bed, before taking a handful of floo powder.

"The Burrow"

The fireplace flashed green and the figure nearly fell rather than walked out as one of the Weasley's Wizarding Weezes exploded near her feet.

"Hello you! I thought you weren't going to make it"

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world"

Mr Weasley's cheeks were flushed red from intoxication, so it's really no wonder he missed the dangerous sincerity in her words. After a few minutes small talk he looked about ready to offer her a dance, so she quickly excused herself and continued deeper into the house.

She searched the whole house but to no avail.

The woman had decided to search the garden and was on her way down the stairs when she caught sight of two people crash into a vase on a bookshelf.

"Fred! What's Molly going to say?"

"Well, you know I don't think we were anywhere near that vase when it happened to accidentally fall off the shelf…"

Fred threw her a mischevious look.

"George on the other hand, yes, I'm pretty sure he was standing right next to it!"

Hermione chuckled, Fred never failed to make her laugh.

Attempting a quick Reparo, which did not seem to work on either of the two broken vases swimming across her vision, Hermione quickly gave up and sent Fred off to get another drink while she went to the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, she saw two Hermione's swaying back and forth and started to have second thoughts about having another drink. The punch was supposed to be non-alcoholic for the kids, but that was all she had been drinking and… Bella. The Gryffindor smiled at the thought of Bella attempting to sneak past Mrs Weasley and spike it. Of course it was her Bella, it couldn't be anyone else.

Wrapped up in these thoughts, she missed the sound of the door unlocking behind her.

As she splashed her face with water, Hermione caught sight of the door opening and an instantly recognisable woman appeared in the mirror, smiling as she saw Hermione standing there. Hermione paused.

"Oh hello"

Hermione turned.

"You know I was sure I'd locked that-"

Hermione's words became muffled as warm soft lips pressed into her own

For a moment Hermione was lost in the sensation before her senses could cut through the alcohol-induced fog in her mind and push the other figure off

"What in Merlin's name-"

"Alright, we can do this the hard way if you insist…"

This time the figure pressed her frame into Hermione's, forcing her back against the sink as their lips met once again. This time there was no softness as teeth nipped harshly at her lips until they bled.

She pressed bruises into Hermione's flesh, delighting in how quickly the skin turned red and then purple.

"I know what you are"

"Get off me… What?"

Hermione was confused, but beyond that, she was scared.

She was trapped, physically weak and wandless. Why had she been so stupid… There was nothing she could do, and for a moment she wished her brain hadn't been smart enough to come to that conclusion.

A trickle of blood dripped from her lip

"Taste it. Horrid, isn't it? That filthy blood of yours"

"Hermione?"

Fred's voice could be heard as footsteps passed the door.

"Don't even think about it"

The woman allowed her a flicker of hope, before extinguishing it just as quickly as it had appeared with a simple Silencio cast on Hermione.

"We mustn't let them know, they'll interrupt our… fun"

She smiled almost coyly at the younger woman.

"You haven't answered my question. Don't you know it's quite rude to keep your betters waiting?"

A manic grin, totally unbefitting of the features they were displayed on, appeared on her slightly bloody lips.

Hermione shook her head, ignoring the painful grip the woman had on her wrists. She would not give this crazy person the satisfaction.

"Now… come on little filth, play the game, there's a good muddy"

Hermione was suddenly very aware of the amount of blood building up in her mouth. So she did the only act of defiance she could. She spat it out.

The woman recoiled sharply before she screamed

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TAINT ME WITH YOUR FILTHY MUD"

After a moment's consideration, she visibly calmed herself and took stock of the brunette in front of her.

"There's nothing you can do"

The woman seemed to derive glee from that fact as she sidled back to stand in front of Hermione, rather too close for comfort.

"I have you now, you can't ruin anything or anyone, anymore!"

As though she had jinxed it herself, the door broke inwards as she uttered those words.

A worried looking Fred and a slightly confused George were stood on the other side.

"I heard yelling and…"

Fred stopped abruptly when he saw the blood running from Hermione's lips and the bruises on her wrists and neck.

As one the twins raised their wands towards the woman

But it was, of course, too late

The woman leant in close to Hermione, and whispered in her ear as though she might a lover

"Until next time, darling"

Before Fred or George could finish saying their curses, the woman had left a blood stained kiss on Hermione's cheek like it were lipstick on a tissue, and vanished on the spot.

The rush of adrenaline started to leave her as soon as the other woman left. GRatitude to the twins was the last thought in her head before she gave in to the sudden exhaustion overcoming her.

Another pool of blood started to form where her head hit the ground


	25. Chapter 25

Bellatrix sat with her head in her hands at Hermione's beside. It was just a routine procedure, they wanted to check Hermione had no internal injuries after what she'd been through. It had been a fair while Bellatrix had been trying to convince herself of this.

The older witch glanced up, but the extent of the external damage soon had her head back in her hands. The blood soaking through the bandages in some places didn't help. She wanted to torture, maim and then possibly very slowly kill whomever had done this to Hermione.

Her Hermione.

But she had to make sure Hermione was okay when she woke up first. She didn't want her to wake up alone in a hospital bed in St Mungo's without someone nearby. Especially as she had fainted so suddenly. Whether from blood loss or shock or a combination of both, they weren't sure.

Hermione shifted slightly, wincing as her head started throbbing.

Bellatrix was standing at her side in a heartbeat. Adamantly careful not to touch anywhere that was injured, despite Hermione's protest at being treated like a China doll, Bellatrix caressed her uninjured earlobe anyway.

Before either had time for relief, an important looking mediwitch came in with a chart and a intimidating smile.

"Feeling better?"

"Much… thank you"

The smile turned slightly less intimidating. She liked the good, polite patients.

"Now the blood replenishing potions will take about three days to get you back to normal, and the bruises will fade naturally with time."

"Three whole days? Surely I'm good to go already. I'm fine, I only have a few small cuts! And I need to be out tomorrow, I have important things to do. Things that cannot wait. In fact today, right now, would be ideal really…"

She was meeting with Ginny and Luna tomorrow, to surprise them with the first in a new batch of her new potion, freshly approved for human consumption as the trials had been successful after a few quantity tweaks.

She wasn't going to keep her friends waiting any longer if she could help it. They were so close!

"How about a blood transfusion?"

The mediwitch with a name tag reading Glinda regarded her, slightly shocked

"Miss Granger, I wouldn't recommend-"

"But can you do it?"

Glinda paused

"Technically… yes"

"And then I'll be free to leave today?"

"It's all very… delicate"

Hermione looked at her beseechingly

Glinda sighed

"Yes, you would be out this evening at the latest"

"Brilliant. Let's do that."

Glinda smiled briefly, before looking down at her chart again. A frown creased her forehead.

"I'm afraid we may not have any blood donors to match your type…"

Hermione's heart sank.

"That's ridiculous, here take some of my blood"

Bella offered her arm to the mediwitch, finally glad to be able to do something rather than sit around waiting helplessly waiting for Hermione to get better.

"Bella…"

"Miss Black, isn't it? Yes I'm afraid your blood would not be a match"

"What? That's ridiculous. Just take some of it and try at least"

"I'm afraid all muggleborns need muggleborn donors Miss Black"

Bella's face froze.

Her eyes flicked questioning to Hermione's for a moment, and saw defiant pride.

"Muggleborn?"

"Yes, Miss Black"

For someone who had passed the mediwitch exams successfully, Glinda was none too bright, particularly in terms of awareness of the current situation.

"Right, of course"

Bellatrix pulled her sleeve back down roughly

She paused, before glancing again at soft brown eyes. Then she turned to Glinda.

"Well Miss… Glinda, I'm sure you are aware of who I am, and the family I represent. I have no doubts that you will do your utmost to ensure… Miss Granger, receives the blood she needs when she needs it by, and is given the best care you can offer her"

"Oh yes, we take care of all our-"

Glinda gulped at the dark, soul-crushing Bella was throwing her

How quickly the position of power can swing

"Yes, the best care and let me… let me go and get that blood for you now. Not a problem"

Glinda scarpered.

Bella picked up her cloak from the back of the chair she had been sitting in for the better part of the night and early hours of the morning, and turned to the door slowly.

"Take care, Miss Granger"

"Bella-"

She paused by the door, but did not return into the room.

"Sit with me?"

Bella smiled softly in vague acknowledgement of her request, but did not meet her gaze

"Take care, Hermione"

"Bella…"

The door swung shut behind her

"Bellatrix Black… BLOOD STATUS DOESN'T MATTER. BELLA PLEASE… please…"

Hermione needn't have shouted. Bella could hear her perfectly well from the slumped position she was in by the door. Forcing herself with all her willpower not to go back in.

Hermione would never be safe with her if she was a muggleborn. Her family… even her mother and father, just would not allow it.

It was bad enough that Hermione wasn't from their list of 'pre-approved' partners.

Never seeing her again… may have been dramatic, but It was the only way she could protect her.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the second time that week Hermione had been camped out on the Black Manor doorstep when a house elf opened the door and nearly had a heart attack.

Hermione apologised as she pushed insistently past him

She held her wand to her throat and her voice reverberated throughout the house

"BELLATRIX BLACK"

What could only be described as a sulking Bella appeared on the staircase not long afterwards.

"Yes? I see you're better"

Her heart was caught in her throat.

"Surely I should be asking the questions here" Hermione muttered under her breath, ignoring Bella's statement completely.

"What happened?"

"You're a… muggleborn"

She stated hesitantly, although matter-of-factly, as thought it explained everything.

Hermione noted that she refrained from using the derogative 'mudblood'.

"Why does it matter?"

She would not back down. She would not apologise for her blood, for who she was. It was her very being, something that was beyond her control and truly, truly shouldn't matter. She was still herself, regardless of her blood status.

Bellatrix paused about halfway down the staircase and leant on the banister, regarding her as one might an interesting specimen of insect.

Hermione took a deep breath and steadied her voice.

"Why does it matter?"

"We've known each other for months now, and you didn't say anything"

She suddenly started down the staircase again.

"Because it doesn't matter Bellatrix. It simply doesn't. I don't see…" her voice hitched slightly "Why on Earth should it matter?"

Of all her current injuries, her heart was throbbing the worst.

There was a tense silence in which each regarded the other. For two people very much in feelings for the other, their eyes still refrained from telling the other the entire story.

"You may leave"

Bellatrix dismissed her, and continued down the stairs until she reached the bottom, heading towards a wooden door at the side that looked like a servant's entrance.

A small part of Bella was utterly determined to save Hermione, that very same part that was pushing her away now.

Another part of her, one that was rapidly growing larger, wanted to destroy things. To rip things apart at the seams and leave only ashes in her wake.

If anything, that statement caught Hermione off-guard.

It made sense of course, Bella would try to push her away. Yet the rational part of Hermione was currently playing second fiddle to her emotions.

This was the angriest she could ever remember feeling, but she wasn't ready to give up yet.

Bellatrix meant more to her than that. This was just one more obstacle to overcome, and that was just another area the Gryffindor excelled at.

Hermione decided the only thing Bella would respond to, was provocation.

"I never wanted to be your mistress anyway"

Bella froze, her back to the younger witch.

"What?"

Hermione saw her shoulders tense slightly before she forcibly relaxed them

"Don't you know how pureblood society works?" A half-hearted scoff escaped her "We all have our... playthings"

Her shoulders suddenly slumped. She was so tired of this, all of it. She just wanted to be curled up in her lover's arm by the fireplace like they had been before.

Two weeks prior

It had been a wonderful surprise date. Bella had taken her up to the Astronomy Tower for a picnic as they occasionally did to watch the stars, but she somehow this time had been different.

"Happy us day"

Exquisite wines sat in a row aside the chequered blanket, candles glowed in different colours floating above their heads as a guitar magically strummed a soft and pleasant tune in the background. It was a meteor shower tonight that happened once every hundred years, and so Bella had decided that this was the perfect occassion to celebrate.

They hadn't celebrated or even recognised the usual milestones, a monthaversary or anything to that effect, and the next one was a long way off. So Bella had wanted to celebrate just being them. Instead of an anniversary of a drunken bus ride, or of a first date that turned into a family coffee outing, she decided they didn't need to commemorate one of those days in particular, just one day they made special because they were happy being together, a special day without pressure or expectations.

An 'us' day as she had termed it.

And Bella had done exactly that.

Her favourite treats were set out, both wizard candy and fruits alike, next to a chocolate fountain that changed flavour as it changed colour, from grape purple to popcorn white every minute or so and a host of colours and flavours in between.

The young witch took a moment to take it all in. The display alone was overwhelming, that combined with a blanket of stars and her current favourite person in the world all conspired to make her feel a kind of contented bliss.

Bella handed her a glass of wine. They clinked their glasses.

"To us"

Hermione grinned. For someone quite ferocious most of the time, Bella definitely had a marshmallow streak in there somewhere.

"To us" she agreed

She took it all in once more, the atmosphere was both somehow romantic and electric, just like Bella.

She took Bella's now empty glass and placing them both on the blanket.

She rose as if to meet Bella, but instead walked straight past her to the fountain, smirking as she went. Dipping one finger into the pink strawberry liquid, she smeared it on her lips like lipstick, before turning to face Bellatrix who had come to stand behind her.

"Let me help you with that..."

Sucking and biting her lover's lips in equal measure as Hermione moaned in response

Bella's hands held her hips close, but it wasn't close enough.

Hermione broke away momentarily, before attaching her lips to Bella's pulse point, knowing just how to drive her crazy.

The dark witch was quickly getting lost in the feeling, when she remembered something.

She decided it could wait.

About two hours later

Lying on the blanket, bare legs entwined and with one hand resting on her lover's chest, Hermione was utterly content.

Bellatrix kissed the top of her head as she continued running brunette strands through her fingers.

"You missed a tiny detail." she murmured softly

The brunette paused, and glanced up at Bella.

"One little thing"

The brunette frowned slightly and looked around

"It's not something you can see…"

It took her a mere moment, before Hermione sniffed the air… wait. It smelt like… toothpaste?

Bellatrix was watching her with a barely concealed grin

"Well I know it's what you like…"

Hermione grinned.

The wine and the atmosphere and everything conspired to make the words flow unfiltered from her brain to her lips.

"You know Amorentia doesn't smell like toothpaste and parchment to me anymore, it smells like…"

Bella pulled a shocked face and Hermione trailed off at the look "No more parchment? …you no longer like the smell of books. Oh my, someone call a mediwitch, that's not my Hermione! She must be ill! She's delusional! She's-"

Hermione hit her llightly and Bella laughed, pulling Hermione back down into a searing kiss.

Bellatrix didn't even try not to grin, realising for a moment that this was the happiest she could ever remember being.

Hermione nuzzled Bella's nose with her own softly and smiled.

"Your Hermione, huh?" She grinned down into sparkling dark eyes.

"Yes, all mine."

Hermione lowered herself down over Bella to kiss soft lips still caught in a half-smile, and breathing in the scent that clung to the dark-haired witch

Yep, there was no denying it. That was the only thing she could smell in amorentia these days.

Present day

A lot can change in two weeks.

"I'm sorry"

Light brown met dark soulful eyes, surprised at how easily her warrior had given in.

"So it's true then?" A crazed laugh escaped her still healing lips "Although I don't suppose legally binding magical marriage certificates lie!"

"Oh but they do…"

A sad look crossed her eyes

"Define marriage"

"What?"

"Define marriage. Tell me what it means, to you, to be in a marital relationship"

"It means… it means sleeping in someone's bed Bella. It means being in love and being faithful and loyal and everything else that doesn't seem to mean a damn thing to you."

Bellatrix answered slowly

"Then, by that definition, we were not married."

"What?"

"Rodolphus and I were not in love. We didn't share a bed, and there was no loyalty between us." She was done playing these games. Just like her family… always playing games "We fulfilled our parent's wishes to form an alliance between our Houses when we were seventeen years old and on my part at least, have regretted it ever since"

Yet for all Hermione could see flames burned in her eyes and she kept her gaze steady, years of repressing herself for the sake of others bled through into her tone, her voice, the words she said. It gave her power.

"What… why would you.."

"That's how pureblood society works."

Suddenly, her voice deflated entirely, its bristling energy sucked out like the rest of her pride, in the blink of an eye.

"They pretend, it's all about remaining 'pure' but really it's a fucking power trip. A power trip to make sure that a few so-called elite families have the influence, power and wealth to do as they please while the rest suffers. It's all, one big, fucked up power trip."

Her eyes started to glisten as fresh wet paths formed their way down her cheeks.

"Then why did you get a divorce?" Hermione's voice was hoarse

"Because I thought I could escape it."

She laughed a pain-filled laugh for a moment

"But I was wrong"


	27. Chapter 27

Hermione left the manor shortly after Bella's confession; the dark witch had refused to say any more beyond that point, choosing instead the moral high-ground of refusing to speak before literally running away from Hermione no doubt into some dark crevice she could completely fall apart in. Hermione was tempted to do the same, run away and wallow in self-pity; the world seemed to be against her after all, but she chose instead to give the dark witch some space.

She needed some herself.

"You'll come find me when you're ready"

She muttered to the emptiness of the foyer.

Her voice carried to the first floor though.

A familiar dark figure that had all but been forgotten in their little romantic drama, smirked. She debated going after Bella, she would be able to find her no doubt… But the look in the brunette's eye stopped her.

It was despair and defeat.

She smiled and held back, Bella was stronger, she was right to choose the mudblood as her… focus. With any luck they would hate each other pretty soon, and everything would be just fine. She smiled and closed her eyes to revel in the moment.

That night when Hermione came home and found Harry sitting watching Quidditch with Crookshanks on his lap and butterbeer in his hand, he took one look at Hermione and pulled her into a hug

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hermione shook her head, she was done.

He led her over to the sofa and they sat down, with his arm around her shoulder offering all the brotherly comfort he could.

They sat together like that for a while, with the Quidditch muted and both staring blankly at the screen lost in their own thoughts.

Harry looked down at her suddenly.

"How long has it been since we had a group sleepover?"

Hermione outright laughed. Harry had the weirdest ways of cheering her up. Oddly, it seemed like a good idea. Being surrounded by people she cared about, and who cared about her in return.

Harry made to get up.

"Now?!"

Harry simply grinned

"Come on smarty-pants, it's barely dark… you can't tell me you're tired already!"

Hermione pretended to yawn, but laughed at the face Harry pulled.

He texted Draco, Ginny and Luna, it was time for a little reunion.

At Black Manor

"Mum… I think Crookshanks has been sleeping on your coat again… it's covered in ginger!"

Draco awaited his mother's reaction, but it always difficult to tell with her. She had almost total control over her body language.

She could not however, control her heart.

It thumped faster as she started towards Draco.

With a quick flick of her wand the hairs were gone.

"Yes, or we'll have to train that abominable creature"

She glanced at Draco briefly, there was no suspicion in his eyes that she could see, but she wouldn't allow herself to forget again.

She turned back to the library.

"Have fun with your friends"

"Thanks mum"

Something was up.

A short while later, camped somewhere in the Forest of Dean

Hermione looked around their little group, eternally grateful that she had such amazing, daft friends.

She realised was even grateful for Draco. He had become a good friend over the past months, even though he seemed like an arrogant prick at first, they had become closer with time and alcohol always seemed to ease the conversation.

Draco took another swig of butterbeer and settled further into his sleeping bag.

"Remind me why we're doing this?"

"It's fun… and I know you love it really" Harry grinned

"Oh yeah… it's the highlight of my year" Draco looked around the tent in feigned disapproval before sending Harry a sideways grin.

"I'd just like to take a moment to point out, that we have more than enough rooms at the manor to accommodate everyone…" He glanced at Crookshanks sitting and purring contentedly on Hermione's lap.

"Although we'll have to hide the cat from mother… she's not too happy with him since he started leaving ginger fluff all over her clothes! She's been acting really weird about it actually…"

Draco caught Hermione and Ginny frowning at each other and trailed off before Ginny spoke up, saving Hermione from saying she hadn't been to Black Manor to cuddle up by the fireplace with her girlfriend and her cat since before the wedding.

"Crookshanks has been living at the Burrow for two weeks…. Dad's had a thing against mice ever since the whole Pettigrew thing and Hermione can't look after him all the time, so he moved in with us."

Draco's brow creased momentarily. He had definitely seen ginger hair on his mother's autumn jacket, even this morning.

Harry broke him out of his train of thoughts

"He's half kneazle, right? I'm sure he could learn to apparate!"

"Or use the floo network!" Draco joined in

Ginny shook her head, they were as daft as each other. "Why don't we play a game?"

Luna suddenly spoke up "Nothing to do with Nargles though… they're too mischievous"

Ginny kissed Luna's cheek, everything about her girlfriend she found adorable.

Luna smiled back.

Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes.

"Truth or dare?"

And with that simple question and the help of some truly brilliant friends, that's how Hermione's night went from heartbreaking to wonderful in a matter hours.

The same, unfortunately, could not be said for her two evenings later.

That night found Hermione curled up with Crookshanks in a duvet fort Fred had built for her when he came over. His form of comforting might not be very warm or talkative, but now lying in a castle of softness, she was grateful for it. Her mind still dwelt on Bellatrix though, how one person could be so downright annoying! And selfish. It was beyond her.

Hermione sat up suddenly, disturbing Crooks from his warm resting place.

It suddenly seemed like an excellent idea to floo to Black Manor and tell Bellatrix excatly what she thought of her.

Right this second.

Favouring going straight away rather than do anything else, she got out of the fort in her penguin pyjamas, and marched towards the living room fireplace still holding Crookshanks. He was her pillar of strength, providing moral support and warmth. Also cuddles when he was feeling sleepy.

A short-lived pillar of strength as he hopped down and wandered off down the corridor the minute they burst into the fireplace at the Manor.

They arrived straight into Bellatrix's room. Hermione didn't stop to think that this meant Bella had left her on the list of people permitted access to the Manor, let alone her private chambers. And that was a very short list. There was a grand total of two people on it.

"You're so… selfish Bellatrix. Just downright selfish!" she hollered the moment she was there. She got a mouthful of soot for her troubles.

She wiped it away with a disgusted look and stepped out of the fireplace properly.

Hermione saw her sleeping frame, and noticed that the room was close to pitch black.

Although it was 2am, unfortunately for Bella she didn't remain asleep for long.

Hermione pulled her wand from her bedsocks, it was a good job she kept it there habitually. She's completely forgotten about it on the way.

"AGUAMENTI"

Bella jumped three feet into the air before rolling off the bed and crouching low, trying to open her eyes and ready for a counter attack.

Then she noticed it was Hermione, and stood up.

"What the hell!"

"This is your fault! You and your goddamn selfishness." She started to pace as her features contorted into a sneer "A proper pureblooded Slytherin, always looking out for yourself!"

Bellatrix was wide awake by this point.

"What? I always put you first… always!" It took most of her self-control not to yell right back "O have you forgotten that night at the hospital already? I stayed. I was the only one who stayed! And I was happy to do it because I was so, so scared, so freaking terrified that you'd gone and you weren't coming back."

Bella paused for breath

"So scared that you pushed me away the very moment I came back? You couldn't get out fast enough."

Bella's shocked reaction shut Hermione up. There was a tense silence in which Hermione started to regret what she'd said, before she stamped it out. She refused to be vulnerable right now, so her Gryffindor (and in this case, idiotic) pride won out.

"You nearly died and there was nothing I could do. Don't you get that? I was completely helpless, and I can't put you in that situation again"

Hermione wasn't listening, all the vulnerabilities and insecurities she had felt were all pouring out, funnelled into a white hot rage that could rival a dragon

"Oh I'm sure you were terrified. Your sister might as well have finished the job for all you care."

Hermione was angry, yelling and looking utterly dangerous, and it caught Bellatrix off guard. She'd never seen Hermione like this before, her love was always calm, happy, always the optimist… and now she was screaming blue murder and it was all her fault. She was trapped in this cycle of thoughts, so it took her a moment to actually understand what Hermione had said.

"Wait, what? My sister?"

It dawned on her. They had never actually spoken about who had injured Hermione, they had been so caught up in the whirlwind of her injuries and then finding out she was a muggleborn…

Bella noted she was even saying muggleborn in her head now. Hermione really had changed her. The thought left her instantly as she focused on another.

Her voice was suddenly quiet and controlled, holding a devastating cold fury.

"Which sister?"


	28. Chapter 28

Bella physically reeled back, as though she could step back from the truth.

"it couldn't be… it just couldn't be"

Bella started pacing frantically, and stopped abruptly when she banged her toe on the edge of the bed.

She sent it a dark look and finally acquiesced to turning on her bedside lamp for the safety of her toes.

"I mean I knew she wanted you and all, and she is an asshole, but Andy would never do something like that… She doesn't have it in her…." Bellatrix sounded as though she were trying to convince herself "Tell me exactly what she said that night"

Hermione told her, as Bella listened intently, staring at the stone floor visibly between the Persian rugs adorning the space around her bed.

"No, it wasn't her. Andromeda is incredibly devious, outright cunning in fact, but she would never be so bold. No, it simply wasn't her. "

Hermione was growing frustrated. She was torn between believing Bellatrix in that it wasn't her sister, and the possibility that Bellatrix couldn't see the forest for the trees.

She was torn that is, until the next sentence Bella spoke

"I mean she married a muggleborn for Merlin's sake!"

And then it dawned on her.

Draco had given her the final clue.

Hermione caught Bella's eye.

"How good is Narcissa at creating, say, polyjuice potion?"

Bright and early the next morning

"It's not what you think" Narcissa smiled sadly

Hermione didn't lower her wand, only narrowed her eyes

Narcissa sighed. She had known it would come to this, the moment of truth as it were, had just arrived a great deal sooner than she had anticipated.

Narcissa blatantly disregarded the wand, and walked over to her dresser. She opened a small chest and selected a bottle.

"I'll show you"

"Wait"

Hermione wasn't sure she was ready to see the figure that had put her in hospital.

But of course, it was too late.

The cork was flicked out and the bright purple contetnts was already past her lips, and flowing down her throat.

Only, Narcissa's features weren't transforming into those characteristicly dark of the middle Black sister. She was growing taller, freckled, and… ginger?

"Fred…" Hermione breathed out, mind racing to remember the last time she had seen him. He'd been around quite a lot recently, and more on his own than he usually was…

"Surprise?"

Although she had copious experience with polyjuice herself, it was still a shock to hear Fred's deep, cheeky voice coming from who she now knew, was Narcissa.

Hermione went very pale suddenly.

"It wasn't you… oh god, you saved me… and I thought it was you…"

Fred smiled slightly lopsidedly before grabbing a chair and pushing it behind Hermione; she looked like she was about to faint.

"I'm so sorry, Narcissa, I didn't know!"

Narcissa-Fred grinned

"How could you… now may I explain?"

As strange as it was to hear Narcissa's politeness and the cheeky jokes in Fred's voice, she nodded.

After listening to the whole story, Hermione laughed

"So all of this, because Draco didn't want to be embarrassed by his mum at his own wedding, and Fred wanted to go out on a date instead of attend the wedding… Gosh, if Molly knew she would kill him…!"

Narcissa-Fred, who was slowly turning back to simply Narcissa, and now had blonde highlights, grinned. "Yep, and as much as they are alike, George couldn't be in two places at once during the ceremony!"

"And so it kept everyone happy… I have to say, Fred's a lot slyer than I realised"

Narcissa-Fred laughed "Yes, he definitely has some Slytherin in him…"

She turned back to the younger witch, now nearly fully back to her own form, and saw Hermione gazing at her intently.

"It was you I danced with that night, and you that saved me…"

Narcissa's eyes turned wide, she could see where this was going and it made the ice queen only slightly lose her cool

"And it was you that came over and built a fort for me"

"Yes, well I was in character. If Fred had seen you that night… I'm sure he would have done everything in his power… And I mean who doesn't love a fort…"

She trailed off. She really should've foreseen this, she just wasn't acting like herself recently.

"Thank you"

Narcissa smiled a smallsmile, looking intently at the floor as though it held the secret to life itself.

Hermione put a finger under her chin and raised ocean blue eyes to meet her own.

"Seriously, if you hadn't arrived when you did…" She took a deep breath "You saved my life."

"I'm just glad I got there in time"

The spell that had formed over them broke and the moment vanished as Narcissa looked away and stood quickly, taking a moment to enjoy being back in her own body before smiling briefly back at the young woman and walking out of her chambers towards the kitchen floo. She needed to clear her head, and the park near Diagon Alley was as good a place as any for that.

Hermione was sat for a moment longer before Bella waltzed into view. She paused at the look on her brunette's face, and chose to give her space, leaning against the doorframe

"So we lost our suspect?"

"Yes… it wasn't Narcissa'

"Back to the drawing board?"

"Something like that"

It was time to bite the bullet. The only lead they had from here was Andromeda, and Hermione knew she'd have to see her eventually anyway.

She only hoped Andromeda could shed some light on who would want to impersonate her, and almost more importantly, who would want to hurt Hermione. And why.

She shivered slightly remembering the threats the figure had made, and then reminded herself only cowards made threats. Besides, nothing has happened thus far, and she had no reason to think it would.

And yet, the weight on her shoulders grew slightly heavier.

"Andromeda lives in muggle London, right?"

Bella groaned and stalked off down the hall, throwing a "maybe" over her shoulder.

She wasn't quite ready to face the outside world just yet.

Plus she wanted pancakes before any more drama happened today.


	29. Chapter 29

After copious pancakes and an attempted conversation that became slightly less awkward with time, Hermione returned to Bella's room and floo'd back back to her own apartment to get properly dressed. She returned via the same fireplace, to find Bellatrix sitting on her bed, fidgeting with a bit of paper.

Hermione walked past her swiftly, headed for the living room to get Andy's address from Narcissa, or Flitty, if the blonde witch still wasn't back yet.

"Wait... Please"

Hermione paused, her hand already on the handle.

"Please? I though muggleborns didn't deserve such kindnesses"

She didn't turn to face Bellatrix.

Bella ran her hands through her hair. No one knew quite how to annoy her like the brunette standing across the room.

"Let me explain?"

She couldn't stand the way things were now, the younger witch was one of the few people she could relax enough to be... Well, normal, around.

Hermione remained silent for a tense for moments,then nodded. The dark witch took that as the closest to a 'yes' she was going to get.

"Sit with me?"

Hermione took her still hovering hand off the handle and turned to face Bella, before folding her arms and remaining exactly where she was.

"Alright..." Bella took a seat in one of the two armchairs near the black marble fireplace.

"We were raised... My sisters and I... In a different world"

Hermione raised an eyebrow

"Pureblood culture is... Very different. Complicated, and difficult, especially as a Black.."

"Yeah, the comfort of money and status must've been such a burden"

Bella swallowed and tried to calm her temper. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything.

"There were perks"

Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered " You don't say" gesturing around the massive room. It could've held her old parents house without the added space of the ensuite.

And private Muggle dentists were pretty well paid.

"But" she caught the brunette's eye

"That came with a lot of... expectations. Beyond the usual responsibilities of a pureblood"

Hermione sighed

"What has this got to do with blood discrimination?"

"I'm getting there. Okay, so you know Andy was disowned for marrying a mud-a muggleborn?"

The younger witch nodded

"Well our parents... Before that they had been fanatic. But with that... It was seen as a betrayal, soiling to the family name..."

"You're not making the situation any better here"

"Let me finish!"

Hermione held her hands in the arm and motioned for the other witch to continue.

"Right, so. Andy was disowned, and they took it hard. Because she chose someone else before family. She chose a guy who only went on to break her heart, over them, over us. We grew up together... We shared meals, toys, secrets... And then one day, she just upped and left. Our parents risked the wrath of several families by keeping her alive... See Andromeda was promised to a powerful foreign wizard, and the family couldn't fulfil that promise... Narcissa and I already had other... Well engagements. But, they chose to save her. At the cost of her never being able to return, and us being... brainwashed, into thinking muggleborns were... Well not our equals." Being diplomatic was a new experience for Bellatrix too

"When you grow up thinking the world is one way, and then you find out it's not... Well it's difficult thing, to adjust a decade of thinking one way."

She held her hand up at Hermione's motion of protest

"I know, and I'm trying. So's Cissy, surprisingly enough. We're adjusting. And it takes time to adjust."

She hesitated...

"Honestly, it wasn't so much that you were a muggleborn. I mean, it was a surprise, don't get me wrong, but that didn't change how I felt about you..."

She looked down at her hand

"How I feel"

Hermione started making her way over to the other armchair. She sat down delicately, still looking intently at Bellatrix

"My parents... They haven't adjusted yet. They still hold Andromeda's actions against her, and against all the muggleborns. It's not right, but they won't listen to reason...they've always been... Set, in their ways. Although father's not really a problem anymore" she attempted to make it light hearted

"Still the only person I know to have died by flying tractor..."

Hermione's eye flashed. "And your mother?"

"Oh, she's still alive and well... unfortunately"

Bella remained oblivious to Hermione looking at her as she stared at the ground.

After a few seconds Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.

Then it clicked.

"Wait..."

She looked at Hermione to meet her gaze

"Dopey"

"Hey..." Bella pouted

Hermione kissed her cheek briefly as she walked past her out the door

"I'm not dopey!

"Uh huh. You are and it's cute"

"Or cute! I'm fierce and and..."

"A total puppy?" Hermione couldn't help winding her up, or the grin that accompanied it.

"Shut up"

Bella scowled a little and shoved her lightly as she walked past.

Hermione didn't notice the smile that naturally formed across her features, one that soon turned into a laugh at Bella turning around and sticking her tongue out.

She always seemed to know how to lighten the mood.

She was quite a different person to the intoxicated woman in resplendent robes that had sat opposite her on the Knight bus all those months ago.

Or maybe she just got to see another side to her dark witch.

After all, Bellatrix had a dark reputation for a reason.


	30. Chapter 30

The playful mood vanished in an instant.

They were finally on their way out, but didn't get the chance to leave.

Draco had appeared, sprinting up the stairs shouting for Narcissa at the top of his lungs, screaming as much as anyone who had just taken the stairs three-at-a-time physically could.

"Draco, she's not here. What happened?"

He turned towards them, wild-eyed and more dishevelled than either had ever seen him. Neither noticed the crimson drops that had were still dripping from his fingers.

"Harry..." He had to bend over, hands on his knees to catch his breath for a second, before he grabbed Hermione's shoulders

"We were... he was... attacked... Hermione... help"

Draco was starting to dissolve into a panic attack, kneeling on the soft white carpet, now decorated with dark red splotches.

Hermione knelt next to him, putting a comforting hand on his back and rubbing circles as she tried to calm him down

"Where is he?"

Years of experience had taught her to be entirely pragmatic in emergency situations.

Draco, however, was not so used to dire circumstances and was having trouble breathing, and it kept his vocal chords restricted

"Cc-cam…Ccamp"

Hermione knew instantly where Harry would go to hide and heal, but she had to double check.

"The Forest of Dean?"

Draco nodded vigorously.

Snapping her fingers to summon Flitty who would take care of Draco and call Narcissa, Hermione apparated on the spot. Not realising Bella was holding onto her arm until it was too late.

In her rush, she nearly splinched them both.

Thankfully they made it, a few feet from the campsite they had shared mere days ago.

But Harry was nowhere to be seen.

She tried to summon her patronus to look for him, but that happy thought just wasn't working.

Luckily Bella saw her try and quickly summoned her own dragon patronus for the same purpose.

Hermione looked at her gratefully for a moment, before a squeak of surprise sounded from just ahead, off a small dip in the landscape.

Bella peered over and saw nothing, and was surprised when Hermione jumped down, under her dragon, grabbed thin air, and pulled.

Harry's invisibility cloak came off.

"Who has… a dragon… patronus?" His breathing was laboured as his heart struggled to pump the remaining blood in his body around fast enough for his lungs to work properly.

"Bellatrix is full of surprises" She was already cleaning him up

There was an awful lot of blood smeared across his ripped clothes and bare skin

But she only had to make sure he survived long enough to get to a hospital. Everything would be just fine if she could get him to St Mungo's. She was sure of it.

"What happened?"

She tried to distract him as she knitted his skin together. It was a painful process at the best of times, and could easily go wrong if the patient didn't stay still. She needed him to focus on something else.

"You'll… you'll never… guess… who"

He laughed weakly, and Hermione's spell nearly attached his skin together outside of one of his ribs at the action. She forcibly held his side down and he lay still. He knew better than to interfere when she was in 'fixing up' mode.

"Was it, by any stretch of the imagination, Andromeda Black?"

Bella was sitting next to Harry, looking at a particularly interesting leaf she had just picked up

A puzzled look crossed his face

"How.. did.."

"Magic"

Bella let out a bark of laughter

"Oh… really…" he would have rolled his eyes if he was brave/stupid enough to risk moving more than his mouth while Hermione held him down and healed him "who… wou..would've… th.. thought it..."

The grin faded from his lips as he lost consciousness.

Hermione didn't waste a moment after noticing before grabbing both his arm and Bella's, and apparating them both straight to the hospital, asking who or whatever might be listening, for Harry not to be splinched.


	31. Chapter 31

They had arrived at the hospital in time.

A few weeks later, Harry was still in hospital, but well on his way to recovery and due to head home in a few days, and a decision was yet to be reached regarding what to do next.

He had been relatively safe in the hospital, under constant guard by friends and surrounded by hospital staff, alone in his London flat every day while Draco was at work, would be a lot less safe.

They all agreed on that, but that was the extent of their agreement.

Hence, the argument of what to do next, and what to do about 'Andy' had arisen.

Once the group got together and discussed the possibilities, there was more than a little disagreement as to who the individual posing as 'Andromeda' really was, or indeed if Andromeda was involved after all. But it was all purely speculation.

"Don't be naïve Bella, Andy's changed. You don't know what she's capable of nowadays"

Narcissa beseeched her sister.

Bellatrix was torn.

"There's not enough hatred in her… she escaped mother and father's wrath thanks to that idiot. A muggleborn idiot need I remind you. Why would she suddenly change her views now?"

"She has nothing left Bella." Narcissa cast her eyes down. She didn't want to be the one to tell Bella, but it looked like she had no choice. She had sworn to protect Hermione

"Her husband is dead, in the afterlife along with her friends. Her daughter is an alcoholic… and she's been left to deal with all of that pus her grandson, alone, even estranged from her family… She is completely isolated and she has nothing left. No one. And don't you rememberAndromeda couldn't even look after toast without burning it! Let alone herself… and now a newborn grandson as well. Anyone would need someone, anybody for Merlin's sake! Some form support with what she's going through, plus…"

Narcissa trailed off, catching Bella's eye.

"You know she's never been good at sticking to playing with her own toys…"

Bella's breath hitched and her eyes glazed over.

Hermione's quizzical eyes couldn't catch her gaze.

When she finally spoke, her voice sounded as though she were lost somewhere else.

"We lock her away until we know for sure. In comfort, her old room at the Manor perhaps, but it will be a prison nonetheless."

Hermione glanced again at the dark-haired witch and made to argue with her decision, no one should be kept in a cage. Then she saw the look in Bella's eye, and the words died in her throat.

This was not a decision she had made lightly.

Besides, if was a choice between definitely keeping Harry safely alive, and making a potentially innocent Andromeda remain indoors in relative comfort for a short while, it wasn't really much of a choice to make at all.

Once Narcissa had excused herself, and they were alone again, Hermione took Bella's hand and led her to her old room. The room they now shared.

She let Bella's fingers slip through her grasp, closed the door and made her way over to the sofa.

Bella's arms were folded as she gazed curiously at the younger witch.

Hermione let herself enjoy a moment of peace, they were rare these days, before turning back to the matter at hand.

"What happened back there?"

Bella's arms dropped to her sides as her expression changed, and she started to pace slowly.

After a few lengths, she paused by Hermione's side and brushed her fingers over Hermione's, lying on the armrest. They entwined briefly before Bella continued in her stride, not coming so close to the sofa again.

"Andromeda has always had… trouble, understanding boundaries."

She paused and glanced upwards

"Or rather, trouble respecting them"

Hermione let Bella continue at her own pace, she was in no rush and this seemed to quite obviously be a struggle for the dark witch.

"Do you remember the night we all spent together? I mean when I walked in on you kissing Andy, and then the ice cream, and then... you know."

Hermione raised an eyebrow "Not a night I could easily forget to be honest" she teased slightly

"Yes, well. Before that night, when we met in Flourish and Blotts... after that night I was talking to Narcissa about you, and after that first bus ride Narcissa started talking to Andromeda again… it's a long and convoluted story" She took a deep breath "but what it boils down to, is that Andromeda has known I have feelings for you since before she met you. Heck she probably knew before I did."

Hermione nodded along, waiting for the significance of this to be revealed

Bella sighed

"She knew and she kissed you back, didn't she? That first night. She's hit on you too, hasn't she? I wouldn't be surprised if she'd flat out asked you out on a date by this point. Andy doesn't like to wait around… "

The brunette kept her mouth shut, remembering her lunch with Andromeda in Diagon Alley, and Andy's little rumination about what would have happened had she been there on the Knight bus.

Bella was lost in thought again, and sighed before bringing herself back at Hermione's words.

"She's done this before"

It was more of a statement than anything else, and the silence that followed was all the answer that she needed.

"Although not entirely… she's never…"

Anger and disgust at her sister's actions at the wedding battled for precedence on her features as she struggled not to simply wave her wand and destroy things. Destroying things was a lot easier than working through complex emotions.

She came to kneel by Hermione, with her head bowed to rest on Hermione's legs, hands clasped together as though she were holding onto the fabric of reality together with her bare hands.

"Whatever happens… I have no reason to trust her. But I trust you completely. I hope you know that" Her voice was small and muffled from her position, but Hermione had spent enough time around the younger children in Hogwarts to recognise muffled crying.

Hermione lifted Bella's head so she could slide off the sofa and down to the Bella's current level.

Cupping her cheeks, she wiped away salty wet trails with the pads of her thumbs and kissed her forehead. She pulled Bella into a tight embrace, and so they sat on the floor of their chambers, wondering what in Merlin's name they were going to do next.

"You're trusting a muggleborn over your own family… whatever's next. Fighting for house elf rights?"

Bella laughed despite herself, tears still dancing fresh paths down her cheeks, and nestled in closer to Hermione.

"I think I'll give that one a miss" She caught sight of Hermione's feigned look of disapproval "I mean you already do it so well…"

This time Hermione smiled, and readjusted her arms around the older witch.

Regardless of what the future held, they had somehow made it through so far. It was just one more obstacle in their journey, another chance to grow stronger.

And suddenly she had an overwhelming feeling,

They would be okay.


	32. Chapter 32

Despite not desperately needing to, the other's kept Harry in hospital an extra few days. Just to be on the cautious side.

Harry was killing time trying to transfigure hospital custard pudding into something more…edible, and catching up on goings on in both the wizarding and muggle worlds.

The others, however, were not having such a nice time.

Andy had very grudgingly shared her memories with Hermione, and it was plain for all to see that she had been knocked out from behind the night of the wedding, and was with Teddy in the park the day Harry was attacked.

"So we're back to the beginning?"

Bella literally threw her hands up in the air. Narcissa tried to hide a grin at her older sister's child-like behaviour. It reminded her of when they were little and someone didn't get their way…

"Well it certainly wasn't Andy or Narcissa."

"And our mother?"

Bellatrix glanced at Narcissa briefly. It was an altogether too meaningful a look.

Hermione spoke slowly

"Why would Druella want to hurt Harry? Unless it's to get to me… but even then, I understand why she wouldn't try to get to me through Bellatrix, that's just counter-productive. But Harry? Ginny's just as close to me and a lot easier to get to. Plus Harry is more experienced with curses, especially in the Auror office at the Ministry… And I'm an even easier target from her point of view… It just doesn't make sense"

At Draco's quizzical look she elaborated

"There's a whole stereotype that wizard blood 'diluted' with muggle blood means diluted magic"

Draco still looked confused

"Basically she thinks I'm as bad as Seamus was in first year."

A grin spread across his face "Right. Gotcha."

Lucius appeared in the library doorway, and saw them all sprawled across the furniture (in Bella and Draco's case), pacing (Hermione liked to keep moving while she deduced things, it made her feel more like Sherlock Holmes), and sitting primly on the couch (Narcissa. Who else?). He had arrived as though about to enter, but apparently thought better of it and continued on his way to another, distant part of the house.

Bella glanced up at the intrusion briefly. Then back down at her hands. Then she looked at Hermione hopefully and pointed towards Lucius' retreating back.

Hermione gave her a withering glance and Narcissa simply scoffed.

"Lucius has trouble getting out of bed in the morning. He does not possess the patience, or indeed ability, to brew polyjuice"

Bella made as though to interrupt

"Nor is he clever enough to think to buy it and impersonate Andy"

The dark haired witch accepted that fairly easily. Not everyone could have more than half a brain.

She didn't want to agree too loudly around her little sister though, he was still Narcissa's husband and Draco's father after all.

Besides, Narcissa and Lucius got along pretty well. Well, they tolerated living with each other while they were sober. And by living with each other, they had separate wings in the Manor, and one communal floor where the foyer, kitchen and library were. They could go for days without so much as seeing each other..

Hermione, also agreeing with Narcissa's conclusion of Lucuius' innocence, decided to go about it logically. Her intelligence always served her well.

"Alright, so if we look at this from a logical standpoint… who had means, motive and opportunity?"

Draco swivelled his chair around to look at her. "Did you just quote a muggle tv show?"

Hermione grinned "Maybe, but that's beside the point here, Goldilocks" she teased in return

Bellatrix rolled her eyes "We all know what the hardest to find ingredient of polyjuice is… the hair of the other person. So, who had access to Andromeda's hair?"

"Excluding the people in this room… anyone she meets in public." Bella didn't want to be here. She wanted cake. But she was being supportive. Sarky, but supportive.

"And who would want to hurt both of us…" Hermione glanced at the floor

"Beats me… He's lovely company" Draco grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes.

Bella gave a curt reply

"You don't need to suck up when he's not here you know."

Draco grinned back and Bella sighed, before stage whispering to Narcissa

"Your son's whipped"

Hermione watched the exchange, slightly amused by their family antics. Although this was not as much of an efficient deduction process as she had hoped it would be.

Then she had a thought

"Who lives here? In the Manor I mean"

"At various intervals, Draco, Bella, Lucius, you, and myself" Narcissa counted them off on her finger

"Oh, and the house elves."

Hermione quickly summoned Flitty

"Has anyone asked you to get hold of Andromeda's hair?"

Flitty fiddled with her robe nervously, she was not used to be the centre of attention in a group of tall people.

"No Miss."

Hermione sighed, so much for a stroke of genius.

Flitty lifted her hand to snap, but Narcissa stopped her

"Wait… Flitty? How about any of Andromeda's things. Like a hairbrush?"

Flitty looked down quickly

"Flitty is not allowed to say"

That was odd in itself, but Bella knew the way around it

"Flitty, as the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I give you permission to truthfully answer any question presented to you by Narcissa or Hermione"

Flitty glanced at her before slowly speaking again

"Mistress… Flitty is most sorry Mistress. Truly she is, but Flitty is not allowed to say"

To say Bella and Narcissa were confused would be an understatement.

"But you're the Head of the House… no one can override that" Narcissa looked around, but of the group she probably knew the most about the Rules of House Elves in Ancient Houses between them. Although Hermione was a close second, her knowledge was more centered around house-elf freeing practises, and their rights.

The little figure clothed in an old tea-rag looked up at her with nerves that were shot to pieces.

Seeing the look in her eye Bella spoke up quickly, kneeling next to Flitty and speaking in a whisper

"Remember I gave you an order, never to hurt yourself. It's okay"

Flitty nodded in gratitude as tears started to pool in her eyes

"Mistress is most kind. Flitty is most sorry"

And with that, she was gone, back to doing whatever Pureblood House elves did all day.

"Well that was helpful" Draco's sarcasm was grating.

"It was actually. There are only two people who could override my authority. And one of them is most definitely dead…"

She glanced towards the attic, where she knew a picture of Cygnus hung, glaring out at the dust sheet covering him.

"And it seems the other, has been playing tricks"

Hermione still wasn't convinced.

"Aside from the fact that she has no vendetta against Harry, she's your mother!"

"She's also a hateful old woman who made our lives miserable for every second we weren't at Hogwarts!"

Narcissa was nodding along

"There's some good in everyone"

Most of the time, Bella loved how optimistic Hermione was about people, her faith in humanity and belief that everyone could make the right choice if they were only given the chance.

This was not one of those times.

"She disowned Andromeda for falling in love, Hermione. She forced Narcissa and I into loveless marriages when were 17 years old. She never gave us a chance… Oh, and aside from that character reference, do you know why she disowned and disinherited Andy? Because she ran off with a muggleborn!"

Hermione could see where this was going, and she had to admit, it did make an awful lot of sense.

"Do you know what that adds up to? Let's see, someone with a grudge against muggleborns" she looked at Hermione pointedly as she ticked off points on her fingers

"Someone with access to the Black house elves, and therefore Andromeda, and can override me as the Head of the House to keep that a secret for Merlin's sake. Plus, someone who wasn't invited to the party, but no doubt could easily have found out it was on. Molly isn't known for her secret-keeping abilities"

Hermione ticked off on her own fingers.

Yep, Bella had it covered. Means, motive, and opportunity.

There was just two more puzzle pieces to slot into place. She needed two further answers, to settle her mind that this wasn't some wild goose chase.

"Yes, I can see all of that. But, why now?"

Bella paused, but Narcissa stepped in without a beat

"Because she doesn't want 'dirty blood' in the family. She doesn't want you, corrupting her daughter…."

Hermione tried to control her reaction, but Narcissa saw the slight anger and sadness flash across her features briefly. She whispered softly

"I'm sorry…"

The younger witch nodded in acknowledgment

"She has had long enough to find out."

"And long enough to think we're sorta serious"

There was only one final question left to decipher the answer to

"Why Harry?"

To that, neither Narcissa nor Bella could respond further than puzzled looks and furrowed brows.

Seeing their brains working overtime, the brunette decided to give them a pass

"I agree, she has the best motive and everything slots nicely into place, but what if we're wrong?"

She looked between the Black sisters, and saw a flicker of doubt.

"We need to be 100% sure it was her. And we can gather evidence to that effect, but we don't approach her guns blazing ready to start a battle until we know for certain. We can at least be civil while we gather information. Agreed?"

She received a curt nod from the blonde and a hesitant one from her lover.

It was going to be another long night and Hermione had to be up early for work.

Although to be frank, after quite a crazy weekend, Hermione was nearly glad of the mundane normalcy it would bring.

She wasn't quite as glad the next day, when Ginny brought their very loud newborn into the shop for a catch up.

Such fun.

Bellatrix however, had her own errands to run while Hermione was at work.

The next day

She had always believed the shortest way out was through, Hermione had sort of agreed with the vague sentiment when she said it, and so without exactly informing anyone of her intent, Bellatrix had gone to hunt down a hunch.

A hunch that lead her back to a certain mansion she had specifically planned never to step foot in again.

When she arrived, he was alone for once. Sitting facing the empty fireplace in his usual green leather armchair flicking through The Prophet, dressed in hideous yellow robes. Adding a gold trim did not make everything look better, it would seem.

Her footsteps were silent, and the entryway could not be seen from the fireplace.

The thought occurred to her that she could simply cast a curse and be rid of him. She remembered Hermione and sighed, the mission was only meant to be reconnaissance.

"Are we going to dance around this or would you rather just tell me the truth?"

"Lovely to see you too, Bellatrix"

Rodolphus turned his head to face his ex wife, standing in the foyer as though she still owned the place. He grit his teeth and crossed his arms over his chest, but remained seated in his comfy armchair. She wasn't worth standing to greet.

He didn't realise he had already put himself at a disadvantage.

"Care to tell me what you're talking about?"

Bella stalked closer slowly, forming a circle around him in the lazy fashion of a predator that knew it could outrun its prey without much effort.

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't tell anyone about our little… arrangement"

"Ah… yes well, she asked and you see, I'm not one to lie to your dear old mum"

He sneered the words, as though he had some misguided notion of being in the right

"Uhuh. And what exactly did you tell her?"

"Just the truth dear. That you've lost your marbles and have chosen to go around cavorting with a mudblood… in fact, dear Andy tells me it's actually quite serious between you too! I told her she must be imagining things, my little Bella would never be quite so stupid… But then I saw you too in Diagon Alley. Turns out, you are!"

She wanted to slap the smug look off his face. She took a deep breath and refused to give in to the temptation.

"You see Rodders, you're not half as smart as you think you are." She paused in her circling to meet his gaze briefly "In fact, you're quite the nitwit."

"Oh she went through with it then!"

His glee was unmistakeable.

In a flash she was crouched over the back of his chair, imposing his space with her very being and with her wand digging sharply into his neck.

"Give me one reason not to end your pitiful excuse of an existence right now"

She twisted the tip of the wand into his neck as she spoke, eliciting a small gasp of pain that slipped through his attempt to appear the least bit tough and as though he were not in excruciating pain and fearing for his life

"I know… what she plans… to do next"

The sharp claw digging into his airway was starting to cut off his ability to breath. An ability he very much wanted to keep.

"You have three seconds"

"What?"

"Three"

"Wait"

"Two"

"I want a guarantee!"

"One" He could hear the smile in her voice. He knew she would do it.

Or at least he thought she would, and that was all she needed him to believe.

"Alright!"

The wand stopped twisting, but did not retract even a millimetre.

"Don't keep me waiting, dear"

Loyalty was a fickle thing. Well, it was for a self-serving, conceited, pignut of a man. The greasy snake told her everything.

All except one, small, insignificant detail, which would have been a whole lot more insignificant if Bella had known about it beforehand.


	33. Chapter 33

She knew they were coming.

From the moment the alarm in the surrounding premises announced the arrival of a strange magical signature and the return of her daughters. And Narcissa was here too… it was going to be quite the little family reunion.

After Cygnus had died, Black manor held too many memories. Too many painful memories. And so Druella had returned to the Rosier estate. Even if he was a jackass. Plus, she couldn't seem to get rid of her daughters from Black Manor. They just kept coming back.

Well, all except Dromeda, she mused. If only she hadn't been such a filthy blood traitor.

Druella had, of course, kept up to date with the goings on outside the secluded manor, or rather, kept an eye on what her daughters were doing, and a good thing too, she scoffed at the mere thought of their actions.

Bellatrix was becoming soft; associating with a mudblood, bedding her no less…! And when Rodolphus had informed her of her daughter's divorce and a few other choice details… well it was all simply unbearable. She had to do something, what more could they expect?

Until her sources had told her of Hermione's last name and blood status, she had very nearly approved of the match. Bellatrix had done well to catch a smart young witch, one with more than a few powerful connections and a reputable, high-ranking job. Well, for now. Her employment prospects wouldn't matter so much once she was carrying the next Black heir. Yes, Bella's choice was not altogether bad… the Black matriarch would even admit her daughter's plaything was pretty. But someone with an unknown name? No family status to speak of? And then she wasn't a pureblood…

She had always resolutely considered herself and her daughters akin to royalty with their pureblood status. And each deserved no less in status and power in return when making such a match.

It was unfortunate that her blood status made Hermione next to a pauper in Druella's disdainful opinion.

A pauper who would bring shame to her family name, and utterly ruin the future prospects she had so carefully crafted for her daughters. She would protect them from the societal shame, even if they were too daft to realise she was doing it for their own good.

She could understand divorcing Rodolphus, anything he might have had to offer once upon a time was no longer worth it. But why now? Bellatrix had always been able to handle him. There hadn't been any discernible reason for her to go through the effort, expense and potential scandal that all came along with filing for a magical divorce. In fact Bella could have lost her portion of the Black family estate if things had gone awry. Fortunately that had clearly not been the case, but why risk it? She knew her daughter was too practical to get rid of him and risk the consequences for no good reason.

That could only lead to one conclusion.

There was only one reason Druella could see for her Bellatrix to take this drastic action now.

One reason why Bellatrix would need to be a single woman.

And Druella refused to entertain the thought of having a mudblood daughter-in-law.

With her jaw set, she settled into her armchair, back poker straight, ready to play her part.

A smirk very nearly graced those carefully controlled features when a loud yell sounded from down the driveway. It meant the mudblood had discovered the ancient 'purity' protection spells.

Down the driveway

"It won't let me through" Hermione cradled her scalded flesh as she lay where she had fallen on the gravel path leading to the gates.

"Ah… yeah that. I'd forgotten about that"

Hermione glared at her.

"What? I did… "

Narcissa cradled the injured hand in her own and murmured the only healing spell that would work on a wound from this particular spell. She had done the same for Andy's boyfriend when she had tried to sneak him in once. Although, this time it was a lot quicker. It had taken them a few hours to work out the cure first time around

Bella grinned down

"See? Cissy made it all better!"

Her childish tone worked to distract Hermione briefly. Without sparing it much thought beyond preventing it happening again, Bella picked her up bridal style, and carried her past the gates that had so recently tried quite vehemently to burn her alive.

"Romantic" Sarcasm dripped from word as Hermione put the back of her hand on her forehead in a mocking 'overwhelmed bride' gesture.

Bella winked "Ah, only the best for my girl"

She realised her faux pas as Hermione raised an eyebrow.

They still hadn't properly spoken about 'them' since the other night. In fact they hadn't spoken about a lot of things they should have… Bella's marriage and divorce, Hermione's omission of her blood status. They were both too proud to bring it up. And equally, both were slightly scared of where that talk would lead.

"If you two are quite finished"

Narcissa had come along for moral support. And protection it would seem, although she wasn't particularly keen to hang around now that they were here.

The only times she had been on the Rosier estate were times she had no place else to run from the evil men Lucius used to associate with. Weak as he was, he had always been keen to be near power, as though some of that would rub off on him. The cost to those around him never seemed to matter, or perhaps he was simply too self-involved to even realise it was happening.

Bella waited 'til Narcissa had turned around and started walking again before sticking her tongue out at her younger sister.

Hermione grinned and whispered "So mature"

Bella attempted to look innocent… she couldn't keep it up for long "Guilty"

The playful mood quickly disappeared as they arrived at the doorstep.

The doors were thrice the height of the unlikely three combined, and appeared to be leaning imposingly over them as they stood there. The dark mahogany wood had links of black iron as thick as Hermione's neck wrapped across the frame in an intricate pattern that would have been delicate, had it not had bloody spikes protruding across it.

Bella frowned and muttered under her breath "the blood's new"

Hermione shivered.

Narcissa's breath caught in her throat for a moment. She hadn't been back here in a long time. And for good reason.


	34. Chapter 34

"It was her"

Hermione said nothing in return

"Or did you miss that part?"

The brunette again gave no acknowledgement of having heard her

"She didn't even deny it!"

Bella was agitated by the situation, but she was even more aggrieved by the fact that since the moment they found out, for the entire journey home, and even now, Hermione hadn't reacted, nor spoken a single word

She had simply shut down

"Say something!"

Bella waited, but Hermione didn't even move. Truth was, she was enveloped in a numb haze that didn't allow the other witch's words to permeate through.

Bellatrix stormed over to stand in front of the younger witch, daring her to meet her gaze.

Still, nothing. No response

The darker witch could no longer stand it. Her last shred of self-constraint vanished and as though without consciously deciding to, she grabbed her love's shoulders and yelled

"SHE TRIED TO KILL YOU, SHE OPENLY CONFESSED IT, AND YOU. HAVE. NOTHING. TO SAY"

She lost patience increasingly quickly these days it seemed, it was harder to keep her emotions in check when everything seemed to be falling apart piece by piece. At least, everything that mattered. And now she was losing Hermione too.

Bellatrix was still grasping her shoulders, but her grip considerably weakened as that thought crossed her mind

She shouldn't be taking this out on Hermione, and was suddenly rethinking her actions, when the brunette suddenly interrupted her train of thought

"She had a point"

She spoke hoarsely, as though even forming that short sentence took all the effort of climbing a mountain

Bella's arms dropped

"You can't be serious"

There was a heavy pause

"We are too different, you and I…"

Her voice sounded far away, as though she were as distant to this conversation as any fleeting passer-by would be

Bella recoiled sharply

"…and things keep getting in the way…"

Hermione's gaze finally rose to meet Bellatrix's

"Maybe we're just… not meant to be"

The only thing Bellatrix could comprehend was what the other witch wasn't exactly saying. What it felt like she was dancing around

You're not worth the trouble of sticking around for

The unspoken words ran through her mind in a constant loop

"No"

She shook her head

That wasn't Hermione

She would never mean it that way. Her love wouldn't even say those cruel words.

She couldn't, she was too…. Hermione, as though her very name was the only word that could connote all the wonderful things that comprised her

Or she just gave that impression to get under your skin.

Let herself in, to cause more destruction in your life

She's already turned you against Andromeda, and Narcissa too… at least for a little while

The voices in Bellatrix's head were divided between taunting and defensive, gearing up for an internal war, and she didn't know what to listen to, what she believed or which side she was on.

Her hands held her head for a moment. Those voices… why would they never leave her be…

She doesn't care for you

She never did

She doesn't want you

She only wanted what you could give her

Nothing more than a filthy mudblood

She was fixated on these thoughts, when one thought protruded through the bubble. Realisation dawned across her features.

That voice… the things it said and the way it said them…

It was, undeniably, Druella.

It wasn't Bellatrix.

Why hadn't she noticed this before…

The dark-haired witch lifted her head out of her hands as peace broke through the warring sides and settled in her mind

It didn't matter what else was going on, that was the only thought that mattered right now.

Hermione was still standing by a small table, staring despondently into space lost in her own world

"No… Hermione… that's it." She nearly laughed at the absurd simplicity of the situation "That's exactly it"

She walked forwards, placed her hands on Hermione's arms, and ran down her arms to hold warm, soft hands in her own.

"The best things…. are always worth fighting for"

"Bella…"

"If it's not worth fighting for, then it's not worth having."

Bellatrix lifted their hands to her lips and brushed them across softly

"If you don't want to fight any more…" She took a deep breath "then I understand. If it's not worth the fight for you, I can come to terms with that… It's okay"

She looked at the other witch with perfect clarity in her eyes; it was more clear-headed than she had felt in a long time.

"From my point of view… I guess I never thought about the trials along the way… We've always conquered every obstacle… Hermione, think about what you're fighting for. If that doesn't give you a reason to keep going… then you're right, and we're not meant to be. But if it does, if it gives you that same small fragment of hope that it gave me…"

She lowered their hands and smiled. Hermione was looking at her curiously, here was yet another side to the witch she cared so deeply about

"Are you saying, you care enough to let me go?" Hermione spoke slowly, not quite sure if they were on the same page

"I'm saying, do what makes you happy. Without feeling remorse or regret. Life's too short to live it any other way."

"Even if that means leaving you?"

"Love is appreciation" Bella's lips brushed across Hermione's forehead softly before placing a soft kiss there "not possession"

"Way to make a girl feel wanted…" Hermione rolled her eyes and gave a weak smile

"Don't you know by now?" There was a new twinkle in dark eyes as she held light brown in her gaze

"As much as I am scared of losing you, I am much more scared of making you stay and you losing yourself… that's what happens when you're not happy. And judging by the family reunions that have been going on these past few weeks, it happens a lot more often than it has any right to. I don't want that for you. I want you to have cake for breakfast and the most exquisite library with the most extensive collection of books the world has ever known…! You deserve sunshine and lollipops and a garden so you can always smell freshly mown grass whenever you want to, as well as every other thing you love. But above all, mindre, you deserve to be happy."

Bellatrix wiped away the tears treading slowly down from light brown eyes with the pad of her thumb

"I will not stop you leaving, nor will I let you stay, unless it is what your heart commands you to do"

Bellatrix meant what she said, every word, when she said it. But that didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat when Hermione pulled away from her and started heading towards the door, then straight out of it without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

She had given the brunette the choice, and couldn't fault her for making it. Besides, there was a new muggle shop that sold Rocky Road just across the street. Two gallons of that sounded good right about now, and she deserved it after the day she'd had…

That thought crossed her mind precisely five seconds after Bellatrix had finished speaking, and precisely one second before Hermione poked her head back through the door

"Coming?"

A/N

p.s. For those of you who have read Glass Silence, yes, that is where mindre came from, it's an utterly adorable term of endearment that the author Zarrene has made me fall in love with. Credit where it's due! And if you haven't read it… It's incredible. I can't even talk about it. Enough said.


	35. Chapter 35

There were still things they needed to sort out, loose ends they needed to tie up, crazy pureblood mother's to look out for, but for now they were going to push that all aside. Just for one week. They needed to unpack and settle in after all.

It had started when Bellatrix had asked Hermione to move in with her officially, which was met with a resounding yes after several minutes of her jaw dropping to the floor and Bellatrix worrying she had turned into a stone statue.

Within a month of looking for somewhere they had found a place of their own and things moved rather rapidly from there. It was a modest apartment somewhere on the border of muggle and magical London, with a catflap so Crooks could come and go as he pleased. Not that he seemed to care, mind you. When they had taken him to the property for the first time, he had simply gone to his basket, turned around a few times, and promptly gone to sleep. He was truly lazy at heart. Loyal to a fault, and a fierce half-kneazle when he wanted to be, but incurably lazy to boot.

The others had remained semi-staying between Black Manor, Malfoy Manor and wherever Andy went to get away from it all (as she said when she was feeling dramatic). With promises to visit given and the final things packed, Hermione found the youngest Black sister and handed her a parting gift. Narcissa smiled her thanks, and then unwrapped the brown paper to reveal a book by Rupert Atticus. Sex with Harpies: Surviving Your First Time. Before Narcissa could turn to show Hermione her raised eyebrow and a slightly hidden smile suppressing her laughter, the young witch was already gone.

One small pop into Diagon Alley later, Bella kissed Hermione on the cheek as she took her own present from the young Gryffindor. The dark-eyed witch took a moment to admire the green and silver background with a slithering snake on the front, before totally destroying it in her childish glee and impatience to get to the actual present. Some things never change.

The Naked Chef by Jaime Oliver

Bella paused, then glanced sideways at Hermione .

"Cooking naked? Muggles do have some strange customs…" The mischievous grin in her eyes started to make itself known on her lips, causing tiny dimples to appear in her cheeks that Hermione hadn't noticed before "but I mean if you insist…"

"It's part of the recipe…every recipe…" Hermione replied not-so innocently, before laughing as Bella smirked, eyes twinkling.

Bellatrix quickly shrunk the book and put it in some secret pocket in her thick outer robes, before linking arms with Hermione and literally skipping down the high street.

She turned to the brunette and couldn't help the growing smile on her face at the sight of her love, of how beautiful Hermione looked in that moment, completely relaxed and carefree as she laughed and went along with Bella's whimsical antics.

They both had to stop for a moment as the laughter became infectious and it became impossible for either to do more than simply breathe, as they were overcome with giggles.

When they had eventually recovered, Bella stepped forward and captured Hermione's lips in a lingering kiss.

When they eventually broke apart, Hermione rested her forehead on Bella's and kept her eyes closed. With everything that happened, they hadn't really had much time to appreciate simply being near to each other, and the intimacy that can so quickly grow from such a close proximity.

Ever one to spoil a romantic mood, Bella started a game of How Long Can I Pull Faces for Without Being Caught.

When Hermione opened her eyes again, she found Bella pulling a bizarrely contorted face that could rival one of Nymphadora's. At Hermione's utter surprise, Bella had the decency to look sheepish for a moment before she smiled with the brunette who had started laughing, and suddenly an idea seemed to sparkle into her eyes.

"Have you ever had a lollipop from Honeydukes?"

FIN

(…for now)

A/N Hey guys, thanks for sticking with this story to the final chapter! Although there is a sequel in the works... Druella won't get away with it! ;) This wasn't how I originally intended to finish the story, so there may be a few tweaks at some future point. However for now, things are quite manic and I was worried I wouldn't get to finish it at all at one point, so here we are. As it stands, this chapter is a sort of early happy holidays present to you all. Thank you especially to everyone who reviews, faved and followed, you all have a special place is this author's heart. Wishing you all the best. Christina x

p.s. my tumblr is apenguinnamedwho... feel free to come say hi


End file.
